Endless Summer Book 2 : Catalyst
by GlamourChick1668
Summary: La Huerta holds many secrets. It is up to Alodia to decide who she can trust. One false step could destroy all she holds dear.
1. The Man and His Museum

_Light. White and blinding, it surrounds me, bathes me. A voice speaks to me, seeming to come from every angle._

 _"You can feel them, can't you, the echoes of all that's come before?"_

 _"I...I remember everything," I whisper._

 _"Of course you do. All one ever has is memory."_

 _My friends are in pieces before me. There is no blood, no sign of violence. They are simply scattered. Like puzzle pieces or broken dolls, rearranged like features on a Picasso. And my task is to reassemble them. Remember their names. Their faces. Who they are to me. I reach out, and begin to gather the pieces together._

 _Quinn Erin Kelly takes shape before me. Delphinus, the Dolphin. A pale, waifish beauty with bright blue eyes and long copper hair falling gently to her waist. A wide-eyed nymph, sweet, generous, and a bit lusty, she gives out kisses like candy, at least to me. She smiles at me from her seat on a small plane._

 _"One magical week in paradise, here we come!"_

 _The plane is rocking violently, battered by wind and flashes of orange ball lightning. I put together the pilot, a ruggedly handsome man with shaggy brown hair, crystal blue eyes, and an action-hero beard, wearing military dog tags. Jacob Lucas McKenzie. Lupus, the Wolf. Jake. We spent last night in bed together, a rough, wild tumble that culminated in tender kisses. He shared his secret with me. But now he struggles to keep control of his plane._

 _"It happens, okay? This is totally normal!"_

 _An Iranian girl with an eyebrow piercing and hair in a purple streaked undercut reforms in front of me. Zahra Yasmin Namazi. Corvus, the Crow. Sarcastic, self-interested...I would have expected her to turn on me when it suited her. But she stayed with me. With all of us. She stares at the lightning outside the plane._

 _"Yeah...sure. That looks normal."_

 _A woman with doe-brown skin and dark hair trimmed close to her neck smiles brightly at me. She wears a yellow polo shirt emblazoned with the emblem of Rourke International on the breast. Lila, our tour guide. We have arrived at The Celestial resort on the island of La Huerta. Jewel of the Caribbean. But no one is there._

 _A mocha-skinned Adonis of a man, towering at 6'7", broad-shouldered and breath-takingly beautiful. Aquila. The Eagle. Sean Marcus Gayle, star quarterback at Hartfeld University. I kissed him once, but never did so again. He looks around the empty resort. "Where the hell is everyone?"_

 _I reassemble another of my friends in front of me. Even as I do it, I can feel the pain returning, nipping at the edges of my consciousness. Canis. The Dog. A slim, ruddy-skinned young man with a handsome, boyish face. Diego. Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto. My best friend. My brother in everything but name and blood. He smiles charmingly, with the warmth and complete trust reserved only for me._

 _"Come on, Allie. We promised we'd make the most of this trip."_

 _And then Jake is there, taking me in his arms, pulling me into his comforting embrace. He bends to kiss me..._

 _A sabertooth tiger prowls in the jungle. It raises a massive paw, claws unsheathed. My flesh tears, my cries of pain drowned out by an explosion as Jake's plane bursts into flames._

 _I am burning. Every fiber of my being screams in pain, but there are more to be reassembled yet. Draco, the Dragon. Estela Montoya, a striking, dark-haired beauty, tall and muscular, with a scar over one brown eye. She faces off against a crab three times her size, armed only with a spear._

 _We were told that ten students from our college had won this trip. Estela makes eleven._

 _Now Cygnus. The Swan is a beautiful woman with chocolate-brown skin and curly black hair. She is short and plumb, with a sweet, earnest face, and eyes that shine behind her wire-framed glasses. Grace Tamara Hall stands in the central chamber of Mount Atropo._

 _Then Iris. A blue holographic woman projected from a small drone. We found her at the observatory. She speaks with a voice that is not her own, playing back recordings from a future where the volcano has erupted._

 _"There's some kind of energy discharge...and it's spreading so fast...burning everything..."_

 _Centaurus...where is the centaur? A massive, gentle giant of Indian descent, with a round belly, soft black curls and a warm, ready smile. Raj Aditya_ _Bhandarkar. Kind, brilliant, all heart, with a penchant for pot-smoking, and a supreme talent for cooking._

 _"I'm worried about our group, Alodia. If we don't stop this feud, we're never gonna get off this island."_

 _Our path is blocked by a massive serpentine creature in the sea, with lightning in its teeth and dark horns where eyes ought to be. Jake and Sean face off against the creature, determined to reach a safe haven and bring back help._

 _Grace stands on her tiptoes to kiss the cheek of a lithe and lanky young man with pale hair and paler skin. Serpens. The Snake. Everett Aleister Rourke the Second. Aleister. A cold and bitter exterior hides a vulnerable core. He is the real Eleventh Winner. Grace is his weakness. The Swan can devenom the Snake._

 _Aleister looks at me achingly. "Everett Rourke...the man who built this place, the man who brought all of you here...is my father."_

 _"...What we do know is that they've been watching us a long time," Jake says. But he is not speaking of Everett Rourke._

 _Tall, muscular figures in ornate masks with skin that glows impossible shades of green and blue, armed with weapons of amber._

 _"Whoever these...Watchers are, they're coming for us." The voice belongs to Ursa. The Bear. Kuan-yu Craig Hsiao, a beefy Asian kid in a Hartfeld letterman jacket. Sean's best friend, on and off the football field. Not book-smart perhaps, but undyingly loyal. It was he who threw the rock that unmasked the leader of the Watchers._

 _The last of my friends waits to be put back together. I gather my strength and assemble the beautiful Vietnamese woman with the dyed blonde hair and the thick, colorful showgirl makeup applied with such impressive artistry. Pavo. The peacock. Michelle Thuy Nguyen. Smart, ambitious, capable. I thought she hated me, but she had my back when I needed it._

 _In my hand is a sleek gun. A time travel gun, built to send its target forward in time. Michelle protests my will to use it. "We've got no idea where that thing will send us! Or when!"_

 _But there is no choice. Jake tilts my head towards him and gives me a lingering kiss._

 _"All right, I can die happy now."_

 _I squeeze the trigger. We're all swallowed by the void. All but one._

 _"Diego! Don't let go!"_

 _He and I are suspended in midair, clutching each other's wrists, the rope in a tug-of-war between the portal and the Watchers. And the Watchers are winning._

 _"They're too strong! They'll just take you, too!"_

 _That terrible moment...realizing what he means to do._

 _"No, Diego...please...don't do it..."_

 _"...Goodbye, Allie. I love you..."_

 _There is another pile of pieces in front of me. But they are not my friends._

 _"Who are you, Andromeda?" the voice in the void taunts me. "Can you put yourself together, too?"_

 _I can. I must. Pale skin. Blue-green eyes. An angular chin and a small button nose. Layers of honey-blonde hair falling past my shoulders. All set atop the short, lithe body of a dancer and gymnast._

 _"There I am. That's me."_

 _"Is this how you see yourself? Are you ready to face your fate?"_

 _"I'm ready!"_

 _"And what name shall you be known by?"_

 _...My name...what is my name...Andromeda...? ...No... Jake calls me Princess...Diego calls me Allie...what do the others call me...?_

 _...Alodia. ...Alodia Rose Chandler._

 _"My name is Alodia..."_

 _"Are you certain?"_

 _"Alodia! I am Alodia!"_

 _The light around me brightens impossibly. I throw my arms up to shield my eyes. The voice is fading into the infinite void..._

 _"We will meet again soon, Alodia. All that ever was, is, and shall be depends on your choices..."_

My hand comes down on the glass desk in Everett Rourke's office, passing through the holographic computer interface projected there. My other hand flies to my throbbing head. I gasp, attempting to steady myself against the sudden wave of dizziness. The vision came on me quickly, the things I saw as I passed through the time portal and emerged on the other side. Neither Aleister, Estela, nor Iris seem to notice my sudden unsteadiness, though. Not that I can blame them, with the sight before them.

Everett Rourke, suspended in a tube of glowing green fluid, concealed inside a hollow marble pillar that rose up and revealed him when we worked out the password to his computer and ran the only program on it.

"...Father..." Aleister whispers.

"Facial match confirmed," Iris chimes. "That is Everett Rourke."

I straighten as the floor settles beneath me, looking at the man in the tube. "What on earth is he doing here? Has he been here all along?"

Estela grits her teeth. "You're telling me the whole time we were walking around this office, the man responsible for all of this was just floating here?"

Aleister stares into his father's slumbering face, his eyes ice-cold. "You can't hide from me now, Father. Now you have to face me."

"Yeah, the rest of us might have some questions for him, too," I mutter. "Now how do we get him outta-"

Estela is already hitting buttons on the computer. The green fluid in the tube begins to drain out, bubbling and glugging like a water cooler. The various tubes leave Rourke suspended in air.

"I advise against waking him suddenly," Iris says. "Long periods of suspended animation could prove-"

The glass tube retracts into the ceiling. Rourke slumps out, naked, as the last of the green fluid spills out at his feet. He staggers, collapsing into Aleister's arms. His eyes flutter weakly.

"Y...you..."

Aleister's face quivers, somewhere between a sneer and a sob. "Yes. It's me."

Rourke feebly pushes himself up, staggering to his feet. He stumbles to the windows and slumps against the glass.

"The...Endless...is..." he slurrs under his breath.

"'The Endless'?" I repeat. "What is that? What are you talking about?"

Rourke turns towards me. Anything he might have said, though, is cut off when Estela throws her fist squarely into his face.

"Estela!" Aleister cries.

Rourke topples backward, falling over his desk chair, and sprawling onto the marble floor. Estela leaps after him.

"Estela, I advise restraint-"

Iris' hologram flickers into Estela's path, but she passes through the projection. I dart in front of Estela, holding up my hands.

"Estela, wait! What are you doing?"

"He's responsible for all of this, Alodia! It's time he answers for it! Stand aside!"

Behind me, Rourke's crumpled form is still moaning nonsense. I wonder if he even realizes that he was just punched in the face.

"I'm not going anywhere, Estela."

She snarls at me drawing herself up to her full height to loom over me. I only just come up to her shoulder. "Don't make me go through you as easily as I went through Iris!"

Estela could snap me in half if she had a mind to, but I meet her angry gaze steadily. "You won't do that," I say firmly. "I won't let you sink to his level. You're better than that. Rourke will answer for whatever crimes he's committed. But first we need answers. And we won't get them if you kill him now."

After a long moment, Estela stands down, crossing her arms and glaring daggers at me. I lower my hands, satisfied.

"Okay. We should get him downstairs to recover. We're not getting any answers until he's lucid."

Aleister looks gratefully at me, mouthing his thanks behind Estela's back.

The three of us hoist Rourke's body between us. His eyes flutter slightly.

"I'm...sorry...Olivia..." he whispers deliriously. Then his eyes close again as he slips back into unconsciousness.

Dawn is breaking, its cool light barely visible through the glass roof above the Celestial's grand atrium. My friends and I gather around the slumbering form of Everett Rourke, tucked under a blanket on a sofa.

"So, that's the guy," Zahra mutters.

"Mhm," Aleister grunts.

"Dude, your dad is shredded!" Craig exclaims. "Isn't he in his fifties?"

"I think I see where you get your abs," Grace says coquettishly, grabbing lightly at his abdomen. Aleister pulls away, laughing, then quickly composes himself.

"Grace, please. You know how ticklish I am."

"The hope is he can get us outta here when he wakes up," I say softly. "Maybe he knows what's going on, maybe he's got a helicopter or something. And more importantly...he might know something about Diego."

There's a general murmur of agreement. After a moment, everyone starts to drift off in different directions. There's not much to be done before he wakes up, and the toll of last night's ordeal is weighing heavily on all of us. Well...it was last night for us. For the rest of the world, it has been two-hundred and four days since the battle with the Watchers.

Six months have passed since I fired that time gun. Six months since I lost Diego. But I'm still bruised and aching from the stress and strain of the battle. ...There is also a particular soreness between my legs from what took place beforehand. The smell of sex is still lingering on me, though thankfully, its masked by the overwhelming odor of sweat coming from everyone, including me. It seems most people chose to sleep these last few hours rather than shower, which I can hardly blame them for. And it seems those few hours rest have not done very much to restore them.

I slump down on a couch beside Sean and put my feet up on the coffee table. He looks over at me.

"Everyone's looking pretty rough, Alodia. Maybe we should get some rest?"

"...I don't think I'm gonna sleep very well until we find out what happened to Diego..." I murmur. Fresh tears spring to my eyes. Sean covers my hand with his.

"I know I won't. Maybe we oughta rally the troops and come up with a battle plan."

"I guess I could make the rounds and-" A strange choking noise catches my attention. I look up, and leap to my feet with a cry. "Oh my god! Quinn!"

Quinn has suddenly dropped to her knees and doubled over on the floor. Her hands, pressed to her mouth and nose, are smeared with blood. Blood has stained her shirt, her jean shorts, her bare knees, and the tiles beneath her. I drop to my knees beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at me, and I see that the blood is flowing from her nose in bright red gushing rivers.

The others are clustering around us. Michelle kneels on her other side, pressing a wad of tissues to her nose.

"Keep your head forward," she says firmly. "Try not to swallow any blood. Alodia, help me get her to a couch."

I brace Quinn against me and help her upright. Together, Michelle and I guide her over to a sofa.

"Everyone else get back," Michelle orders. "Sean, get some more tissues."

Sean hurries off to do as she says. Michelle keeps the tissues positioned over Quinn's nose, pinching her nostrils closed.

"Okay, just sit up straight and lean forward a little. Breathe through your mouth. That's it...you're okay..."

I sit silently on Quinn's other side, rubbing her back. I cannot help but appreciate Michelle's beside manor. She's definitely going to be a good doctor someday.

It takes about fifteen minutes for the flow of blood to dry up. Sean has brought us a damp washcloth. I take it and gently wipe the blood from Quinn's face and hands.

"You can lean back a little, Quinn," Michelle says. "But don't lie flat yet. Keep your head above your heart for at least the next hour."

"Oh, I've never been good at that," she quips with a feeble smile.

"Here, Quinn. Lean against me." I position myself with my legs around her on the couch and let her lean back against my chest. I look up at Michelle. "...What happened?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Quinn asks. "It was just a little bloody nose. No big deal."

"It was a bad one," Michelle says. "But I think we're okay now." Still, the concern in her eyes doesn't escape me.

"...Is she really okay, Michelle?"

Michelle purses her lips. "Well..."

Iris, hovering nearby, projects at Michelle's shoulder. "Quinn's blood pressure: sub-normal. Weight loss detected. White blood cell count-"

"Guys, come on!" Quinn protests. "I'm fine!"

Michelle sighs. "...I think going through the portal just had a bigger effect on her than it did the rest of us. Lemme just take a look at-"

Quinn recoils, pushing Michelle's hand away.

"I said I'm fine!" she snaps, startling both of us.

"Quinn," I say gently. "Listen to her. Please."

Quinn hesitates for a moment, then exhales slowly and settles into me.

"...Okay, Alodia. For you."

Michelle rolls her eyes. "Won't do it for me, no," she mutters. "Gotta be for Alodia."

She does a quick examination, looking in Quinn's eyes, nose, and mouth, checking her pulse and her temperature. I keep my arms cinched loosely around Quinn's waist until Michelle sits back.

"All right. I think you're fine for now. But I've gotta keep an eye on you. Are you gonna let me do that?"

Quinn covers one of my hands with hers and squeezes it lightly. "Yes. I will."

I stay where I am for a moment, but as it registers that the immediate danger has passed, my mind is once more filled with another purpose.

"...I think we need to get moving on a plan to save Diego," I say after a minute. "Think you guys are ready?"

Michelle purses her lips, regarding Quinn tentatively.

"I think we can handle it," she says slowly. "But let Quinn get a little rest first."

"Much as I don't want to delay, I'm not going to suggest we go charging out immediately as we are with no plan at all," I say grimly. "I want Diego back alive. ...Anyway, I'm gonna go check in with everyone else. See what they're thinking."

I ease out from behind Quinn, piling pillows behind her in my place. Michelle drapes a blanket over her legs.

I wander over to where Grace and Aleister are sitting, watching over his sleeping father. Aleister's expression is stoic. Grace rests her hand on his knee.

"How're you holding up, Aleister?"

Aleister doesn't answer immediately.

"He's...okay," Grace says uncertainly.

"Knowing my father's alive is..." He swallows. "...Part of me wished he were dead. At least then, he'd have the excuse to never see me."

"Aleister, I know how you feel. My mom is more similar to him than you'd think. But I know how much I'd miss her if I lost her. And how much I miss her now."

Aleister hums noncommitally.

I sigh. "Aleister, you told us that you came here to face your father. To show him the kind of man you are. Right now, you have that opportunity."

Aleister finally looks up and meets my eyes. For the first time, it seems he is letting me see the hurt, scared, and lonely little boy behind the bitter mask.

"How, Alodia?" he asks softly. "How do I show him the person I've become?"

I meet his gaze steadily, returning the favor. I let him see my own hurt. My own fear. "...By helping me save Diego."

He takes my hand and stands up.

"...That should suffice. Also, I suppose it is the moral choice."

"That's my Aleister," Grace says with a grin.

Aleister smiles back at her. Then he looks at me again.

"...Diego...he is...important to you."

I am quiet a moment. "...I don't have a father," I confess softly. "Or a mother. ...Diego is the only family I've got."

To their credit, neither of them press me for details. Then Grace says, "...I think you have more family than you realize yet."

"...Take a wild guess who is leading this pack," Aleister adds. "Half the people here would throw themselves to the wolves for you."

"...I don't want anyone to throw themselves to the wolves," I say softly. "I just want Diego back."

Laughter from across the atrium catches my attention. Raj, Zahra, and Craig stand around the marble statue fountain at the center of the atrium, giggling wildly.

"Oh my god, you're right! It is!" Zahra squeals

"It so is!"

"Who's what now?" I ask, wandering over.

Raj grasps my shoulders. "Alodia. Alodia...Alodia, this is ridiculous! You're gonna love it. Look!"

He points to the fountain. A marble statue stands on a pedestal in the center, depicting a man in a toga wearing a crown of laurels. Engraved in the bottom of the pool is a circle of Roman numerals.

"...What am I looking at?"

"The statue, bro!" Craig laughs. "In the toga! Can you tell who it's suppose to be?"

I look again. My jaw drops as the face registers.

"It's...Rourke!"

My reaction is apparently hilarious. They burst into fresh peals of laughter, nearly falling over each other, half-delirious with exhaustion.

"I can't believe I didn't notice before!" Zahra howls. "The guy put a statue of himself in a toga in the middle of his own hotel! I'm cocky as hell, but I'm not even in this guy's league!"

I can't help smiling. "Doesn't this guy know how the Roman Empire ended? With the Sack of Rome!"

"Oh my God, Alodia just said 'sack'!" Craig gasps. "I'm dying! I can't breathe!"

Raj scoops me up and hugs me against his soft, round belly. "I don't know if what you said was funny. I'm probably just crazy right now. But you're the best and I love you."

Zahra throws an arm over my shoulders. "Let's get real for a second. I know things are sucky right now, especially for you. But sometimes people gotta laugh to stay alive." She ruffles my hair affectionately and wanders off.

I drift off myself, over to where Jake and Sean are talking intently with Lila.

"What's happening over here?"

"Just trying to figure out who could've been here this whole time," Sean replies

"Who are you talking about?" Lila asks.

"We've been gone six months, Lila. And somebody's been spending a lot of time here."

"Iris says she didn't detect anyone coming to the hotel after the Watchers left, though," Jake says.

"Just because she didn't notice them doesn't mean they weren't here. Stuff's been moved all over the hotel."

"How can you tell?"

"Photographic memory. It's how I'm able to read defenses. Point is, it's like someone's been living here. Looking for something."

"Princess did find that crazy note of instructions ranting about the Hadean Zodiac."

"Those notes led us to Rourke," I say thoughtfully. "Maybe they came looking for him."

"I'm just thinking...did people come to rescue us? Did we miss our window while jumping through time?"

"Trust me, Q.B., if anyone came to this island looking for us, it's to silence us. Permanently."

"Is that your idea of a silver lining? That we missed getting killed?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"I don't understand what you're asking me, though," Lila says.

"Schedules, timetables, shipments...anything you know about arrivals to La Huerta long term. We've only been thinking short-term up till now, but it's been half a year."

Lila looks at Sean like a deer in headlights. "I...Lila doesn't know these things off the top of my head! Lila's a tour guide!"

"Woah, easy there, Dimples. He's just bouncing ideas around."

"What if it's Diego? I mean, if I escaped, I would have come here."

Jake sighs. "Honestly, anything is possible."

"It wasn't him," I say flatly. "I wish it were, but it's not. That note wasn't his handwriting. Besides...I know him. If he'd escaped, the first thing he'd do would have been to leave me a sign. Something I couldn't mistake. ...We can't waste any more time. We have to get him back."

"Of course!" Lila says cheerfully. "No man left behind. That's my tour guide motto."

"I should friggin' hope so," Jake mutters. "Well, let's go rally the troops then."

We gather everyone together in a circle of sofas and armchairs. Sean nods at me to take the lead. I take a deep breath.

"Thanks to the portal, we've left Diego out there with the Watchers for six months now. We need to get him back. Now."

"Easier said than done," Zahra says, not unfairly. "How are we supposed to pull off a rescue like that?"

"We hunt down some Watcher ass and make them regret the day they ever messed with us!" Craig answers. From his place on Craig's lap, Murphy trills in agreement.

"We don't even know where they are, Rambo," Zahra counters flatly.

"I vote for an expedition," Sean says. "Something to get a read on our new situation and pick up the trail."

"Any trail will be six months old," Jake says grimly. "Ice-cold."

"Then what do you think, Jake?"

"...I think he's dead."

My heart drops into my stomach. For an instant, hurt and anger boil up in me like magma. How can he say that to me now? When only hours ago, he was holding me while I wept and vomited on the rooftop? When he was guiding me to lie in his lap so I would get an hour's rest? When he seemed to care so much before, how could he now be so heartless? But my rage quickly cools when I rememebr the secret he told me last night when we were entwinded in bed together. Mike, his wingmate, his best friend, his brother. The two of them framed for treason and ambushed in the sky. Jake ejected in time. Mike did not. Jake knows. He knows the depth of love I have for Diego. ...He knows the pain of separation. And every day, he lives the nightmare of knowing that separation will never end. ...He is trying to protect me from unnecessary pain, not by filling me with false hope, but by making sure I am not blindsided if the worst happens. It's misguided. I wish he wouldn't say it. ...But I appreciate his intentions. But Sean doesn't know what I know.

"Shut up, Jake," he growls.

"It's a possibility," Jake snaps. "At this point, it's a likely one."

"Clearly it's easy for you to quit on people. How long before you decide we're as good as dead, too?"

Jake glares at Sean. "Honestly, man, that happened as soon as we walked into this damn building."

Sean opens his mouth to reply, but I catch his eye and shake my head. He shuts his mouth.

"We will be as good as dead if we go out there without a plan or a destination," Estela points out.

"That is a fair point." I look over at Quinn, still propped up on pillows, a blanket draped over her legs. "Quinn? Any thoughts."

"I'll follow your lead, Alodia. ...But...I am worried about losing more of us."

At those words, I cannot help but be struck at how pale she looks. I know she's Irish, but usually she has that sweet flush in her cheeks and nose. But...maybe I'm worrying too much. I nod.

"Okay, then. I think the best thing to do is try to find answers here, first. Something that will tell us where the Watchers took Diego."

Sean gets up. "Okay, people. I know it's been a long, _long_ day, but Diego's counting on us now. Freshen up a little, but then we gotta search this place up and down."

"What about him?" Zahra asks, jerking her head at Rourke.

"...Don't think he's going anywhere."

We all rise and split up. I head towards the elevator to go up to my room. Sean follows me in. When we're alone, he turns to me.

"Hey...Alodia...about what Jake said...don't take it to heart. I'm sure Diego's okay out there."

"No, you're not," I say gently. "Neither am I. We can't be sure. Jake's right. It's possible he's dead."

"We can't give up on him."

"I will _never_ give up on him," I say more sharply than I mean to. "Not until I _know_ he's dead. ...But it is possible."

Sean sighs. "...Doesn't mean he should have said it."

"He wasn't being malicious."

"Just cold-hearted."

"No. Not that, either," I say gently. "Don't be too hard on him, Sean. ...If you knew what I knew, you'd understand why he said it."

"What do you mean?"

"...I can't go around blabbing things he told me in confidence." I am silent for a moment. Then I say, "He wanted me to be prepared. In case the worst happens. He doesn't want me blindsided."

"...I wish I understood him like you do," Sean mutters. I can't tell if he's being bitter, sarcastic, or sincere.

"I don't understand him," I reply in a clipped tone. "I hardly know him. But I do know he wasn't being cruel or coldhearted."

"...All right. If you say so."

Sean steps off the elevator at his floor. I continue up to the penthouse floor, to the rainforest-themed suite where I have lived for the last four days. I open the door, and I am hit by a cool breeze and the smell of saltwater. The room is still trashed, some of it from my wild night with Jake, some of it from the Watchers searching through my belongings. One of the windows is shattered from where the Watcher leader rappelled through.

"Oh, right," I mutter aloud. "That happened."

A few leaves have managed to blow in over the last six months. A seagull is perched comfortably on the window sill. It squawks at me. I wave it away.

"Go on, get outta here! Shoo!"

The gull flaps off over the sea. I walk into the bathroom, turn on the sink, and throw several handfuls of ice-cold water over my face. I raise my eyes to the mirror and freeze.

...Diego is there. He's smiling over my shoulder.

"Man, Allie! And here I thought _I_ looked like hell!"

I gasp, whipping around to face an empty space behind me. My chest goes tight with the threat of fresh tears. Guilt hallucinations. Not a great sign. I turn back to the mirror. ...Hallucination!Diego was right, though. I do look like hell. Smell like it too. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to freshen up a bit. At the least, a hot shower would help me clear my head.

I strip off and wash my mountain climbing outfit in the sink, scrubbing it with shampoo and hanging it to dry. I climb into the shower, where I let the next wave of tears fall freely as I scrub off the sweat and soil of the last twelve hours. The hot stream soothes my aching muscles, though it does little for the tenderness at my pubis. Under normal circumstances, I love the slightly bruised feeling after a night of wild, just-slightly-rough sex. And I suppose I am not unhappy about spending last night with Jake. ...No...I am far from unhappy about it. ...But the scattered glass on the carpet reminds me that the night almost ended with Jake dead in my arms, until I grabbed the blue stone around the Watcher's neck.

God, I have to get out of this place...get out of this room...

I brush my teeth and go to hunt down some clean clothes. The Watchers dumped out my duffle, but they left my clothes in a single pile at least. I pull on some socks and underclothes and a pair of old jeans. A pale green T-shirt on the top of the pile catches my attention. I pick it up and unfold it. _**Kenna &Dom&Val&Raydan, **_it reads. I feel my breath catch in my throat again.

 _The Crown and the Flame._ Diego and I are superfans. We read all the books together, played all the games. The only video games I'm any good at are the ones where I can play as Queen Kenna Rys. When the current season is airing, Sunday nights are set aside for viewing. We order sushi and sake and green tea ice cream from Sakura's and curl up under a blanket on his bed to watch. We are both convinced that Kenna and Dom are endgame. Soul mates. It's true love. Maybe Val will be Kenna's mistress though. Or maybe she'll finally hook up with Raydan.

Diego got me this shirt for my last birthday. Our favorite ships in the right order, and no other explaination. If people got it, he said, we'd know other fans right away.

I pull it on. Like Queen Adriana's signet ring, I'll wear this shirt as a reminder of what I'm fighting for. Maybe there's no romance between us, but Diego is still the Dom to my Kenna. My oldest friend. My partner in crime. I run a brush through my hair and venture back out, heading down to the atrium.

...I'm not sure where to start looking for answers. But there's someone else I want to find, too. And I'm pretty sure I know where to look.

I have to search a few different bars, but in the country-themed bar on the eighth floor, the lights are on. I don't see anyone right away, but a country ballad plays on the jukebox.

"...Jake?" I call out.

The sound of a hard smack and shattering glass behind the bar answer me.

"Ow!" Jake grunts. "Damn, that hurt..."

"...You okay back there?"

Jake stands up, wincing and running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah," he mutters. "Just about gave myself a concussion bumping my head, but I'm great."

"That's what happens when you get a big head about everything."

"What can I say, Princess? My ego is a gift and a curse." His eyes fall on my T-shirt and he grins. " _Crown and the Flame,_ huh? You more of a Kenna or a Dom?"

"Me? I'm totally Kenna."

"Pfft. Figures."

"...Jake, what are you doing behind the bar, anywhere. We're supposed to be looking for clues about where the Watchers took Diego."

"Yeeeah...I think they left their address at the bottom of one of these bottles. Only one way to find out which one." He smirks at me, but there's a helpless fear in his eyes that I can't mistake. I know what he's thinking. I know what memories this is bringing back for him. I touch his hand.

"...Jake..."

He shudders, recoiling from my touch just a little. "Ya know, did somebody steal some of this booze? Used to be a bottle of Raleigh DeWitt Gold whiskey sittin' here. Been sayin' I was savin' it for when things really went down the crapper-"

"Jake-"

"-and well, I think it's about time. But look! Somebody guzzled the whole thing! It's empty-"

" _Jake!_ " He shuts up, staring at the floor. I take a deep breath. "...I know you're worried about him. Whatever you pretend, I know you're worried. ...But you can't do this to me right now. I need you to get your act together if we're going to save him."

He sighs. "You're right. Like always. Look at me. I'm _pathetic!_ " I startle as he suddenly picks up the empty whiskey bottle and hurls it into the wall. It shatters in a rain of glass. ...Like the window in my room last night...

I shiver. When Jake drops out of sight behind the bar, I rush to walk around the corner and find him. He's sitting on the floor, his head buried in his hands. I scoot in beside him, sitting close. ...I need to feel him beside me. I need to know that he's here. I almost lost him, too...

"...Did you really drink that whole bottle just now?"

"...Nah. There was only about a quarter left. Been nipping away at it since my plane blew up." He draws in a shuddering breath. "Thing is, I ain't given a damn about people in a long time, Princess. Then you came along and pretty much blew that whole plan straight to hell. Now thanks to you, I'm all torn up inside over your gang of Little Rascals. And it's all your fault."

"My fault?" I echo wryly. "How do you figure that?"

Jake snorts a laugh and looks at me, our faces close. Strands of his sandy hair fall across his bright blue eyes, shimmering with unshed tears.

"Not sure if you noticed last night, but you kinda blew my mind."

I can't hold back a smile. "...I definitely noticed."

His face is so close now that I can see the light catching on his damp eyelashes. As if drawn in by a magnet, I lean in and let my lips brush softly against his. I feel him lip me back. We pull apart, just an inch, our eyes meeting. Then we collapse into one another in the same frenzied, needful passion that consumed us the night before. Jake picks me up as if I weigh no more than a feather, sitting me down on the edge of the bar. I yank off his green bomber jacket. He pulls my shirt from the waistband of my jeans and lets his hands roam underneath. He breaks the kiss for a moment.

"Does this mean we're-"

"Yeah," I reply quickly, recapturing his lips with mine.

"And it's not like-"

"No."

"Cool."

He pulls my shirt off over my head and kisses down my neck to my chest, pausing at the hollow between my breasts.

" _Hey!"_ Zahra's voice, echoing from somewhere outside, makes us both jump. _"You guys are gonna wanna see this!"_

We pause, pulling apart reluctantly. I struggle to put the breaks on my racing heart. Jake groans.

"Zahra must hate me. She must really, really hate me."

"I'm sure she does," I agree wryly, pulling my shirt back on. "Come on. We should see what's up."

Outside the bar, we look down into the atrium and find Zahra waving at us from the first floor.

"Get down here! You guys aren't gonna believe this!"

We head down, catching up to her just about the same time as the others do. She leads us down a hall to a massive set of ornately carved wooden doors. ...Which would not be unusual in The Celestial. ...Except that between us we had searched the entire resort top to bottom while we were searching for entrances to barricade before the attack. And I can tell looking around at my friends' faces that none of them recognize these doors.

"...Uh...was _this_ always here?"

"...What in heavens?" Aleister breathes.

"Definitely never seen those before," Sean confirms.

Quinn kneels to examine the edges. "Look here. See how the wall is chipped where it meets the doors? And there's some plaster stuck to the carvings."

"...These doors were hidden," I conclude. "Like they were drywalled over."

"Seconded," Jake says. "Done some construction in my day, and I can pretty much guarantee it."

Michelle rolls her eyes. "Is there anything you haven't done?"

"Not really."

"If these doors were hidden, who found them?" Sean asks. "How'd they even know they were here?"

"Somehow, I doubt it was Diego," Estela says flatly.

"There are some words engraved here," Aleister remarks, squinting. "My Latin is rusty, but I see the Roman numerals for 79 A.D."

"Have you guys looked at these carvings in the door?" Zahra asks, eyeing them with distaste. "They're kinda messed up."

"It does not appear messed up to me," Iris chirps. "It's a clear depiction of humans turning to ash in a volcanic eruption. The craftwork is in excellent condition."

"Pompeii. It's a carving of Pompeii. Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. and wiped out the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pliny the Elder was killed when he attempted to rescue his family in Stabiae." Seeing the others staring at me, I shrug. "What? I'm a history major. I know things like this."

"Alodia is correct," Aleister says. "Mount Vesuvius did erupt in 79 A.D. The depiction fits the date on the engraving."

"It's still pretty creepy," Zahra mutters.

"Enough stalling," Craig says. "You gonna open 'em or what?"

"I'm not scared!" Zahra snaps.

"Didn't say you were."

"You thought it," she says accusingly.

Craig grins. "Yeah, I did."

Zahra pushes on the massive doors. They swing slowly open, revealing a sprawling, majestic library that puts the one in _Beauty and the Beast_ to shame. Worn, leather-bound books fill the rows upon rows of shelves towering over us. Tapestries adorn the bare spaces on the walls. Cherubim and Seraphim with serene, beautiful faces are painted on the ceiling in soft, heavenly shades.

"Okay, _this_ is my new room!" Grace declares.

"This is one hell of a library, that's for sure," Sean agrees. "But don't forget why we're here."

"Cap's right," Jake says. "If our mystery guest came here sometime in the last six months searching for this place, maybe it's got some answers for us."

We split up and start searching.

"There's gotta be a million books in here," Michelle moans. "What are we even looking for?"

"Just gotta hope we know it when we see it," I reply.

Our footsteps echo on the marble floor as we wander the library. Morning light seeps through stained-glass windows in the upper arches, colorfully illuminating the frescoes painted on the ceiling.

"Analyzing..." Iris' voice echoes. "This mechanized celestial globe dates to 1594, one of the first produced. A first-edition text by Athanasius Kircher, circa 1662."

"Everett Rourke's entire personal collection!" Lila breathes. "I'd always wondered what had happened to it."

"But why would he stick this in a damn beach resort of all places? And then why seal up the entrance?"

"He had a lot to hide," Aleister says flatly.

"Like father, like son," Estela mutters.

Aleister ignores her, but I see his jaw tighten. Just past him, I notice Murphy, curled up beneath a book display. His tail is curled tightly around his body, and frost clings to the wall behind him, shedding from the tips of his blue fur. I go to kneel beside him.

"Hey there, fella. Why are you trembling? What're you scared of?"

Murphy whines at me, his eyes fixed on something on the wall. I follow his gaze to where a strange scepter is mounted within. I go over to examine it. Two hissing snakes twine in a double-helix around a third snake with wings framing its head.

"What the hell is that monstrosity?" Jake asks.

"Three snakes," I say. Then, seeing where they join at the bottom, I correct myself. "No...a hydra. In the shape of a..."

"A caduceus," Iris finishes. "The symbol of medicine used worldwide, originally the icon of Mercury, the gods' messenger."

"So the scepter's as Roman as Pompeii," I remark.

"Analyzing...origin undetermined. This is the only article in the library I cannot identify." Iris's voice seems to hold real confusion.

"Did you see the inscription on the frame?" Michelle asks. I look to where she's pointing.

 _'Oh Mercury! Herald of that_

 _shining hour when glory's_

 _house stands open...'_

Homeric Odes, Chapter XII

"The Homeric Odes!" Grace exclaims. "I saw a volume of those on the shelves!" She rushes off and returns a few minutes later with the well-worn volume. I take it from her and flip open to the twelfth chapter.

"...'His staff aloft o're glimmering waters, the herald-god marked the height of the day. And lo, the path to the depths yawned open. To conquer the heavens, a man must journey below'."

"That passage must be important somehow," Quinn remarks. "I for one am past believing in coincidences on this island."

"I agree, but what could it mean?"

"Well," Jake says thoughtfully, "the staff of the herald-god, that's gotta be this thing, right? The ca...cader...cudel..."

"Caduceus," I finish.

"Right. That thing."

"Sounds like this caduceus is supposed to open a path below something," Estela remarks.

"Right. When the scepter is 'held aloft o'er glimmering waters'."

"Hmm...where could we find water?"

"Sweet Jesus, Craig," Michelle groans. "We're on an island."

Quinn giggles. "Okay, but more specific maybe. Where have we seen someone standing over glimmering water?"

I snap my fingers. "The atrium!"

"Right! The statue of Rourke over the fountain's 'glimmering waters'!" Sean agrees.

" 'Marking the height of the day'," Zahra murmurs. Then her dark eyes widen. "It's a freakin' sundial! We give the staff to the herald, the fountain becomes a sundial!"

"And the sundial opens the path!" Quinn finishes.

"Do we know what time it opens?" Michelle asks.

"Considering everything we know, my guess is noon," I reply. " 'The height of the day', remember?"

"My watch says it's almost noon now," Lila says. "We can make it if we hurry!"

"Quick!" Raj says. "Alodia, grab the Twizzler!"

I grab the caduceus and follow my friends as we race the clock back to the atrium, sprinting out of the library and down the long hallway. The statue in the lobby gradually grows larger as we approach, the sunlight glinting off one pale marble arm, held aloft in front of him.

"There! We have to get the scepter into the statue's hand!"

"How?!" Michelle cries.

"Not much time to figue it out! It's 11:58!"

"I got it!" Sean says. "Pass it over, Alodia."

I hand him the scepter. He takes a running start, and then launches himself from the rim of the fountain. With a gravity defying leap, he grabs the arm of the statue, pulls himself up with one arm, and slams the scepter into the statue's grip. He swings and vaults off the sundial, landing on his feet on the other side of the fountain.

"Like a boss!" Craig crows.

"Impressive," Jake admits with a smirk.

"You sure you never did gymnastics?" I ask. "Learn to flip, you'd kill on vault."

"Show-off," Michelle mutters.

"Time, Lila?"

"Eleven fifty-nine and twenty-two seconds. We made it!"

We huddle around Lila, counting down the last seconds. At precisely twelve on the dot, the sun shines through the glass roof, the staff casting a slow-moving shadow on the fountain's numerals.

 _Clunk!_ We all start as the floor vibrates under our feet.

"Watch out!"

The tiles behind the fountain drop into the floor, falling one after the other into place, each about four inches lower than the next.

"It's a staircase!"

"Okay, that's actually pretty dope," Zahra admits.

"All right, folks," Jake says, "guess we're going down into whatever sex dungeon Rourke has set up."

Aleister shudders. "Was that mental image really necessary?"

"You know, Malfoy? I immediately regretted it. Sorry."

We head down the narrow staircase, going single-file into the darkness. Jake finds my hand and laces his fingers with mine.

"You're not actually nervous about going down here, are you, tough guy?"

"Nah. Just wanted an excuse to hold your hand."

In the darkness, I feel the smooth floor even out. We stand together in silence, seeing nothing, hearing only the sounds of each other breathing. I am suddenly very grateful for Jake's hand in mind. I squeeze it tightly, gathering my courage to take another step forward.

With a metallic clunking sound, a floor tile depresses beneath my foot like a button. The lights flicker on around us. For a moment, we all shield our eyes. Then, as the spots clear, I find myself in a room painted totally white. Dozens of illuminated pedestals and wall displays house bizzare trinkets from every era, shining under thick glass domes.

"Dude!" Craig cries. "It's not a sex dungeon! Rourke's got a man-cave! ...No TV's though. Gotta hook up those flatscreens."

"...What the hell is this place?" Michelle murmurs.

"I think it's some sort of museum," Quinn says.

"Or a trophy room," Estela suggests.

Jake runs his fingertip over a shelf. "A little dusty. Don't think anybody's been here in awhile."

Michelle is lingering by one of the pedestals, admiring the trinket gleaming within. I walk over to look at it. Under the dome stands a figurine that looks like some sort of idol, several inches tall. It depicts a nude woman with arms outstretched, a flowing length of cloth maintaining her modesty. She appears to wear a headdress of peacock feathers.

"Wow..."

"Isn't this gorgeous," Michelle murmurs appreciatively. "What is it made of? Gold?"

"I think it's...amber, actually."

Experimentally, I press a green button on the side of the pedestal. The glass dome divides and retracts into the base. Michelle picks up the idol.

"It's so...beautiful..." she murmurs, almost dreamily. She offers it to me. I take it in my hands.

The moment my fingers graze it, my world flashes white, only for an instant.

 _I am standing in an immaculately tidy, artfully decorated bedroom. A red Hartfeld Knights banner and a tapestry with Greek letters hang on the wall amongst posters and framed pictures. A mild spring breeze drifts through the open window. There is new growth on the trees outside._

 _...Michelle sits on the edge of the bed, gripping one of the wooden posters._

 _"What are you talking about?" she whispers. "I didn't-"_

 _Sean, standing in front of her with arms folded, glares down at her. "Yes, Michelle. You did. Your closest friends told me. You cheated. It's over."_

 _He turns away, towards the door. Michelle stands, stretching a hand towards him._

 _"Don't say that! You can't leave me! ...Please..."_

 _Sean stops, but he doesn't look back at her. "We built something for two years, and it meant nothing to you. Of course it's over. ...How could I ever trust you again? Once you break that trust, there's no putting it back together."_

 _He storms out, slamming the door behind him. Michelle sinks down on the bed again, tears forming on her eyelashes. After a moment, someone knocks._

 _"Aww, Meech? You okay in there? Can we get you some chamomile?"_

 _"...I just need a minute," Michelle calls back. "Thanks, Anna..."_

 _I count three pairs of footsteps leaving. Michelle sits in silence. The tears in her eyes don't fall. Then, giggles drift up through the open window._

 _"Sean totally bought it! Oh my god, I can't believe it worked!"_

 _"You know, she probably did cheat on him at some time or another. That total skank. She thinks she's so smart. So much better than us."_

 _"How does she not get that the whole sorority totally hates her?"_

 _I watch Michelle's face. I know she can hear what they're saying, but she doesn't shout. She doesn't cry. Her eyes go cold._

 _I'm suddenly yanked forward, pulled as if by my very heart. I'm on a stormswept beach. Rain batters Michelle as she climbs into a rusted sailboat._

 _"Michelle, stop!" Quinn cries._

 _"You're going to get yourself killed, you idiot!" Zahra yells._

 _"No!" Michelle screams. "I'm going! None of you want me here! You never did! You think it's my fault Craig and Aleister are dead!"_

 _Jake graps the prow of the boat. "No! We don't! Of course we don't. Just get out of the boat! We're your friends!"_

 _Michelle shoves him off with surprising strength, tears mixing with the rain pelting her face. Jake stumbles, falling into the shallow water._

 _"No!" Michelle snaps. "You're not."_

 _She pushes off. The wind and rough water quickly carry her into deeper water. Jake scrambles to his feet and rushes after her, but he can't move fast enough._

 _"Michelle! That thing's still out there!"_

 _As her boat shrinks in the distance, I can make out a massive shadow slithering beneath the waves._

 _"Michelle!" Quinn screams. "Micheeeeeeeelle!"_

There is another white flash, and then I am back in the museum. Michelle is right next to me, her hands still on the idol. I look up at her.  
"...How long was I standing here?"

"What are you talking about?" Michelle asks. "I just handed you this thing. Do you not want it?"

I look at the peacock-headed figure. She gazes blankly back at me.

"Yo, Alodia!" Craig calls. "Check this thing out!"

I shake my head to clear it of the troubling vision and make my way over to Craig at the back of the room, still holding the idol. He points to a strange crimson glove within a glass dome, ending at the elbow. Something about it gives me deja-vu.

"What do you think this thing is?" Craig asks.

"I don't know. It looks futuristic somehow. But it also seems really old."

He grins at me. "Wanna check it out?"

I press the button to open it, but it buzzes and flashes red. I frown.

"It's not working."

"We could always smash it."

"Yeah...I guess we could..."

"Hell yeah!" Craig winds up a punch and shatters the dome, sending glass sprinkling over the floor.

"Oh, my God, Craig!" I yelp. "With your hand?! Really?!"

"The hell's the matter with you, you maniac?" Zahra shrieks.

Craig points to me. "Alodia told me to!"

"...Yeeeah, this one's kinda on me," I admit. "I didn't mean for him to use his hand though. ...Thanks, though, Craig."

I pick up the glove. It looks a little patched together.

"It's so cool-looking! Does it do anything? Try it on!"

It's a crazy suggestion to take, but I slip the glove onto my arm. "...Do you see this at the bottom, around the elbow? It's all torn up and kinda scalded. ...I think this person's arm was cut off!"

Craig doubles over with laughter. "And you put your hand in there! Nasty!"

I hastily pull off the glove, which only makes him laugh harder. Across the museum, Jake picks up a small black device.

"Hey, Craigslist! I think I found the remote to those TVs you were looking for," he says, pressing a few button. "Think the batteries might be dead or-"

With a mechanical hiss, the wall behind Jake splits in two, making everyone jump. Two panels slide apart, revealing an enormous floor-to-ceiling screen.

"Aww, yeah, baby!" Craig crows. "That's what ya boy is talking about!"

The screen flickers to life, revealing a map. No...not a map, strictly speaking.

"Satellite imagery!" Jake exclaims. "That's La Huerta!"

Crosshairs flash on the screen, pinpointing a location in a small bay on the western side of the island. A label appears beside the crosshairs.

"'Hostiles' Stronghold'?" Sean reads.

"'The Hostiles'," I murmur thoughtfully. "That's what Rourke called the Watchers in that recording at the Observatory!"

"I think we just found where the Blue Man Group took Diego."

I swallow hard, raising a hand to touch the map. My fingertips graze the spot marked by the crosshairs. He's there. That's where Diego is. _Diego...hold on, mi hermano. I'm coming for you._ I turn back to the others.

"Listen...I know you've all been through a lot, so I understand if some of you want to stay here..."

Zahra holds up a hand, cutting me off. "Give it a rest, Alodia."

"What?" I blink, looking around at my friends. Sean has his arms folded defiantly. Michelle is tying back her hair. Jake picks up an ancient hatchet. Despite their exhaustion, despite everything they've been through, they all look at me with their jaws set, eyes afire with resolve.

Zahra meets my eyes. "You already know we're coming with you."

Craig cracks his knuckles. "Let's go save our friend."

For a moment, I can't speak, overcome as I am with grateful tears. Then the sound of footsteps and slow clapping behind us makes us all turn. Everett Rourke, now dressed in an elegant brown suit, stands in the doorway, smirking.

"Well done, friends. You found my toys, I see."

Jake drifts closer to me, not taking his eyes off Rourke. "Figures you'd be the kinda guy who slow claps."

"Jacob, Jacob, Jacob...to be fair, I understand your hostility. But you're going to appreciate very quickly that we are on the same side here." Rourke adjusts his jacket and cracks his neck. He turns to me, locking eyes and holding my gaze. I gaze back steadily.

"...You're awake," I finally say.

"And you exist. Splendid on both counts. The pleasure, for once, is all mine."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Estela growls.

Rourke ignores her, having finally spotted his son, stewing quietly beside me, glaring.

"Aleister. My boy. ...It's been a long time."


	2. Time and Time Again

"Aren't you going to say hello to your father?"

Aleister stands scowling at the man in the bespoke suit, motionless. Grace nudges him.

"Aleister..."

Aleister snorts. "I have many things to say to you," he finally says. " 'Hello' is not one of them."

"Somehow, you inherit no qualities of mine, and yet you have your mother's tongue. Truly a miraculous feat."

A long, tense silence fills the museum. Craig is the one to break it.

"Yo, this is super awkward."

"Imagine what it is like for me, Mr. Hsiao. Can any of you explain what my son is doing here?"

"What are you talking about? You invited me. I got your email after I wrote you."

Rourke knits his eyebrows for a moment, then relaxes.

"Right. Of course. My apologies. My memory is still coming to me." He looks around at the strewn glass on the floor. He lingers by the empty pedestal where the amber idol had been.

"And what, pray tell, happened here?"

Michelle opens her mouth, but I elbow her and slip the idol behind my back.

"Everything was smashed up when we got here," I lie smoothly.

"I apologize for the condition of the resort, Mr. Rourke," Lila says meekly.

"Save the groveling, Lila. At the very least, you managed to keep our most honored guests alive all this time. How long have you been here, anyway? What day is it?"

Iris projects from her drone behind Rourke. "December 27, 2017, sir," she chimes.

Rourke whips around to face her. His face softens. "...Iris?"

"Good morning, sir. Time is based on internal clock. Internet connection to atomic clock, unavailable."

"December 27...That long? And you...you're alive? How? State your version."

"0.9.1."

"Of course. An old backup copy. Tell me, all of you, how did you find this version of Iris? How have you managed to stay alive here for over six months?"

Craig clenches his fists. "Bro, I don't think you get the situation. _You_ are gonna answer _our_ questions. Or else."

Rourke smirks. "Or else what?"

Craig lunges, grabbing Rourke by the collar and lifting him clean off the floor, pinning him to the wall. The smile never leaves Rourke's face.

"You wanna find out, amigo?" Craig snarls.

"Craig, stop!" I cry. "Put him down!"

Craig looks back at me. "What?"

"He just woke up from who knows how long in that tube. He can't help us until he knows what's going on!"

Craig considers for a moment, then nods. "...Aiight. I'll trust you on this." He sets Rourke down, perhaps a bit more roughly than necessary. Rourke smooths his lapels.

"Now then. Where were we?"

I recap for Rourke as quickly as possible. Our arrival to the empty resort...our attempts to call for help...the Watchers kidnapping Diego...the time portal... He nods.

"Ahh. I have a clearer picture of the situation now. Come along." He heads for the stairs.

"Woah, hold on!" I yelp. "We've still got questions for you!"

"Of course you do. There will be occasion for that later. Unless you want to be here when _they_ return."

"...When who returns?" Quinn asks.

"Why, the Hostiles. You told me that you had sent some of them through portals before sending yourselves. Obvious, that means that those Hostiles _emerged_ just minutes before you did. Surely, they immediately returned to their stronghold. But once their leaders realize what this means, they'll be coming back for you. We must go at once."

"What are you talking about," Estela demands. "Go where?"

"To rescue your friend, of course. I can't have guests perish at my establishment. Could you imagine the Yelp reviews? Besides, the Hostiles' home will be briefly undefended, as they send their warriors here to collect you."

"...You know the way?"

"I know this island like the back of my hand. Come now...time is of the essence."

With that, Rourke marches up the steps to the atrium. Everyone exchanges glances before slowly following him. Jake, Sean, and I hang back slightly.

"We can't seriously be taking him with us," Jake says lowly.

"You got a better idea?" Sean asks. "He knows the way."

"You're saying we should trust this guy?"

"I'm saying we _need_ this guy."

"...He does know the way," I say softly. "It may be our best shot at getting Diego back. There aren't many risks I'm not willing to take to achieve that end. ...I let him go...I let him be taken..."

Jake takes my hand. "...Bad stuff happens, Princess. You don't have to throw yourself on the fire to ease the guilt. ...We don't even know what Rourke's agenda is. How can we be sure he even wants to find Diego?"

I bite my lip, chewing it uncertainly. His attempts to dissuade me from wallowing in guilt are grating, but I can't deny that he has something of a point.

"...I suppose we can't," I finally admit. "...Maybe it is too big of a risk..."

"If I thought there was a better way to bring back Diego, don't you think I'd do it?" Sean snaps. "I'm gonna do whatever it takes to bring him back. If you're not willing to come along if Rourke's there..."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Sean!" The sudden heat and anger in my own voice startles me, and it clearly startles the men, too. I pull my hand out of Jake's. "Both of you! You both need to shut up and get it into your heads that _you don't get to do this!_ None of you would have given Diego a second glance before you all got trapped in hell with him, but I've known him and loved him my whole life! No one here cares more than I do! None of you get to act like you do! And you absolutely do _not_ get to lecture me either about not throwing myself onto the fire, or about doing whatever it takes to get him back! I was ready to go alone if I fucking had to!"

I don't wait for them to react. I'm angry, embarrassed at being so angry, and far too frustrated to either apologize or listen to them apologize to me. I turn and charge up the stairs. Ignoring the concerned looks from my friends at the top, I push past them towards the elevator, and go straight back to my rainforest room.

Because I do now have a plan of action, I am at least able to calm myself down a little by stuffing supplies into my backpack. It's just when I get up there that I realize I was still clutching the amber idol. It doesn't take much space, so I slip it into my bag. I don't really want to leave it behind. I change out of my T-shirt and jeans and back into the mountain climbing outfit Quinn found for me before our expedition to the marina. I slip the small knife into the sheathe at my shoulder, and tuck my sheathed pirate cutlass into my backpack.

There is a knock at my door.

"Hey, Princess? You in there?" I sigh, going over to open the door. Jake stands outside, hands in his pockets.

"...Hey, you."

"...Hey. ...Not looking for a last minute tumble or anything. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"My best friend has been a captive for six months, Jake. If he's still alive. ...Of course I'm not okay."

"...Yeah. I know. Can I come in?" I step aside to let him through. "...Listen...Alodia. ...I'm sorry. I know I haven't been very helpful so far..."

"No, not really," I say flatly. "You went so far as to tell me you thought he was dead."

He winces. "...About that...I..."

"I know. ...You don't want me to be blindsided if that does turn out to be the case. You were trying to brace me."

"...Yeah. ...Was I wrong?"

"...I don't know. I've never been in a situation like this before. I appreciate that your intentions were good."

He takes my hand, lightly enough that I could pull back if I wanted to. I don't. I lace my fingers with his.

"...I think Sean's intentions were good, too," he says gently.

I sigh. "...I kinda blew up at you guys, didn't I. ...Especially him. He didn't really deserve it."

"Nah, he didn't. He was a little insensitive, but no more than I was."

"It's just...he barely knows Diego. Sean's confident and popular, the big man on campus, and Diego's this shy kid who rarely lets his guard down around anyone but me. Diego would have given anything to have a guy like Sean showing this much care for him back home. Suddenly, Diego's gone and Sean's acting as if it's _his_ best friend missing...like _he's_ the one Diego was clinging to in the last minute...like _he's_ the one with the guilt and I'm being...cold or calculating or not caring enough..."

Jake removes his hand from mine and draws me into a hug. "...If you think about it, you'll realize you know that's not how he meant it. ...Sean's the kinda guy who takes the weight of the world on his shoulders because he doesn't trust anyone else with it. ...Probably had a lot of people relying on him to reinforce that. We both saw it on the way to the Observatory when we went over the cliff. ...But you know what you do about that?"

"...What?"

"Same thing you did then. Make him see he can let go. ...Make him see that he _should_ let go. ...That even though none of us are letting you go into this alone, this _is_ your fight. You're the one with the most at stake here. We all _should_ be deferring to you."

I choke a little. "Jake...what if he _is_ dead?"

"...Then you won't face that alone, either."

"...I feel like a part of my soul is missing. No one in my life has ever meant as much to me as he does. He's always been there. Always. I never had parents or siblings, but I always had Diego..."

"...You never had parents?"

I am quiet for a long moment. I ease out of his embrace and go to sit on the bed. I pat it, inviting him to sit next to me. He accepts the invitation. For a long moment, I don't say anything. ...He told me his secret last night. And I am starting to trust him enough to reciprocate.  
"...My parents were killed in a plane crash when I was seven months old," I finally say, my voice soft. "After they died, I ended up with my only living relatives, my mother's sister and brother-in-law. They'd actually been looking after me while my parents went on what was supposed to be a month-long vacation.

"...My aunt and uncle never wanted kids. It wasn't that they didn't like me, or even that they didn't like kids in general. But they were an incredibly wealthy young couple who loved each other and who wanted just to love each other and live their lives the way they wanted to, without kids in the way. They always figured that to me, they'd be the cool aunt and uncle who spoiled me, sometimes looked after me for a week or a month, and then gave me back to my parents. But when my folks died, my aunt didn't want to turn her dead sister's only kid over to the state. So, they hired a nanny to do most of the child-rearing. Turned out that nanny had a son about my age."

"...Diego."

"Yeah. ...I grew up thinking of him as my brother. I called his parents Mom and Dad. I grew up speaking both English and Spanish, because his mom made sure we learned both. His mom did most of the work raising both me and Diego, and it was probably one of them best things my aunt and uncle ever did for me. Without her, I think I probably would have been a spoiled brat who only ever received affection in the form of expensive things. Diego's family, especially him and his mom...they gave me real love. Thing is...once I got older, I didn't need a nanny anymore, but she still needed to work. The woman I called Mom didn't have as much time for me as she did when I _was_ her work. But Diego was still there. And he's been there ever since. And I've been there for him. When everything was falling apart for one or both of us, we always had each other. But somehow when it came down to it...when it really mattered, I failed him. And now everything's falling apart and he's not here and that's _why_ it's falling apart and it's all my fault..." My voice breaks as fresh tears threaten me.

Jake, who has been listening quietly, puts his arms around me. "...That's bullshit, Alodia. And you know it. Diego let go because he wanted to save you. He put you above himself. It's the kinda thing your best friend does for you."

I close my eyes, leaning into him. "...And now I have to do that for him."

He kisses the top of my head. "...And the rest of us gotta put you above anything else right now. We gotta take care of you for his sake."

There's another knock at my door. "...Alodia?" Quinn's voice floats through the door.

"It's open, Quinn. Come on in."

She does so, carrying a bag in her hands. "Hi, Alodia. Hi, Jake. ...Everyone's downstairs. We're all ready to go. You guys got everything? Last time we'll be here for awhile."

"I think so." I glance around the room. "...I'm actually gonna miss this place. It's almost started to feel like home."

"We've certainly made some memories here."

"I like some of those memories," Jake says with a smirk. "Especially in this room."

Quinn giggles. "Naughty. Oh, Alodia, I brought you something. I know you lost those hiking boots in the ocean, so I grabbed another pair for you from the boutique."

I blink. "Quinn, did you steal a pair of boots for me?"

"Maybe. ...I also might have left five bucks and a button on the counter."

Jake laughs appreciatively, holding up a hand for Quinn to high-five. "Way to go, Red. ...Suit up then, Princess. Let's get your brother back."

The hike to the stronghold is likely to take ten hours, Rourke says. We make sure we have non-perishable provisions, remembering what happened on our trip to the Observatory. After the first few hours, it becomes necessary to stop to eat and catch a few hours' sleep. We sleep in shifts, with at least two of us awake at all times to keep an eye on Rourke and watch the jungle for threats. Sean and I end up with first watch. For a long time, we're both silent, just watching our friends sleep.

"...Alodia...?"

I glance over at Sean. "...Hmm?"

"I...wanted to apologize. For what I said back at the resort. I...realize now what it sounded like. But I didn't mean it like that."

"...I know you didn't." After a moment, I add, "I'm sorry I blew up at you. ...You didn't deserve that. You don't deserve any blame for what happened to Diego, either. I'm the one who couldn't hold onto him. You were already through by the time they pulled him out."

"...I'm not good with admitting when I'm helpless," he confesses. "Even when it makes me blameless."

I chuckle mirthlessly. "You say that like it's a huge revelation. ...But you are blameless, Sean. What happened to Diego is my failure. My burden to carry. ...My heartbreak."

"We all care about him, too."

"I know. But not like I do."

"...So...what do I do here? If I can't take the burden for you, I'd like to at least ease it."

I am quiet for a moment, considering. "...I don't know much about football...but...you're the team captain, right? You're the quarterback. The big man. The star. ...Remembering that I'm a layman, tell me in very simple terms what Craig does for you in games."

Sean thinks for a moment. "...He clears the way for me. Supports me. Makes sure I can do what I need to."

"That's what I need from you right now. From everyone. My touchdown or whatever is getting my best friend back. I need everyone else to make sure my way is clear. To watch my back and my sides because I can't see anywhere but straight ahead. And let me call the plays. Let me be the captain here. Tell me if you think I'm being reckless, but don't fight with me or make it about you or anyone else except me and Diego. You told me once that you've always been taught that you can only rely on yourself. That when things go back, you scramble. You want to take the burdens on because you can't trust anyone else with them. That's how I feel right now. As grateful as I am to everyone for coming with me, as much as I would trust you all with my life, I find it hard to trust you with his because his life matters more to me than mine."

"...Yeah. I get that." He nods. "Okay, Alodia. From now on, you're my captain."

I smile a little. "...Diego calls himself my sidekick."

"...I think 'sidekick' is a little outside my wheelhouse. I do think you're a hero, though."

"...Thanks..."

But that just brings back the pain when I remember what Diego said to me before we all charged out of the security room in our final, desperate bid to escape the Watchers: _If I had to be anyone's sidekick, I'm glad I was yours. Because honestly, you've been my hero. And if I lose you tonight, I just want you to know that._

I lapse into silence, slowly peeling apart the leaves I pick off the forest floor until Jake and Estela wake for their shift.

Out in the western rainforest, the temperature is at least 100 degrees. On the move again, a layer of sweat coats my body and soaks my clothes. Blinding sunlight beats down on us from above. I at least had enough sense to apply sunscreen before we left, but I might well have sweated it all off by now.

"It's gotta be 120 degrees," Jake mutters. "And a thousand percent humidity."

"That's neither how percentages nor humidity work," Aleister grumbles. "Nonetheless, I concur."

"It's so bright I can hardly see," Zahra complains. "And if I have to hear about Craig being sticky one more time-"

"But I _am_ sticky! Feel!

"I absolutely will not feel."

"I know it's hot guys," Grace says, "but come on, guys. Diego...he's counting on us."

"Never give up!" Raj cheers. "Never surrender! No matter how toasty it gets outside, we're coming for you, Diego!"

I have to smile at his enthusiasm. Nonetheless, I wipe a heavy sweat from my brow, gulping water from my canteen.

"...How the hell is it so hot, though? I thought it was December!"

"Nothing about time on this island makes sense. I wouldn't expect the weather too, either."

"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can stop walking," Rourke says briskly. "Doesn't that sound pleasant? Now hurry up."

Sean eyes him suspiciously. "You're not even sweating. How is that possible?"

"Impeccable conditioning."

"Bet you Botox'd your damn sweat glands shut," Jake grumbles.

Pain like the stab of a knife shoots through my head. I double over with a cry, my head throbbing like there's a hammer pounding at the inside of my skull. Visions flash in front of my eyes, so real I could reach out and touch them.

 _"This river looks pretty deep," Quinn says. "How are we supposed to get across?"_

 _"I had my people search all over the world for you," Rourke says silkily. "And we never could find you."_

 _"Alodia, you don't even understand how much you just saved my life," Michelle gushes._

 _"Check it out. I found something at the bottom." Sean grins triumphantly at me._

 _"Damn," Jake says dreamily, "Couldn't you just stay here forever?"_

As suddenly as it came on, the headache fades. The rest of the group marches on. No one seems to have noticed. Well, except one.

"Are you well, Alodia?" Iris asks.

"...I..."

"This river looks pretty deep," Quinn says from up ahead. "How are we supposed to get across?"

I start. What? What'd she just say? I hurry to catch up with the others, and see that we have arrived at the banks of a rushing river. I fall back slightly, back to Iris.

"...Iris, how did I know Quinn was gonna say that? I saw all these...visions..."

"Scanning...I detect a disturbance in the tachyon field. It seems that we have entered a time loop. Such phenomena normally cannot be sensed by humans...yet apparently you can see it."

"Hold on, what do you mean a 'time loop'?"

"A period of approximately thirty minutes will repeat indefinitely. Even this very conversation, should you choose to have it again."

My stomach flips. "You mean we're stuck here forever?! How do we break the loop?!"

"There must be a source of the time disturbance nearby. You must destroy it to escape the loop."

"...I gotta tell the others. We need to find that source and-"

"Warning: informing them of the temporal vortex may cause irreparable damage to space-time."

"...Seriously? ...You mean I can't tell them with reality caving in on itself? You're saying I'm on my own?"

"Correct. Though there may yet be ways to use the others to your advantage."

I am quiet, considering this. "...Well...I suppose the first thing I have to do is find the source of the time loop." I draw in a shuddering breath. _Come on, Alodia. You can do this. Diego will never be saved if you're stuck living the same half-hour for eternity._

"Over here, guys!" Estela calls. "There's a fallen tree going across the river. We can use it as a bridge."

We line up single file to cross the tree-bridge. Aleister is in front of me, Zahra behind. I take a deep breath, preparing to mount it like a balance beam. "Apples... _"_ I murmur, feeling my nerves steady. "Apples."

I continue to mutter under my breath as I cross carefully, my arms outstretched, one foot in front of the other. The weight of my backpack isn't helping, but I try to shift my own weight against it.

"What are you mumbling?" Aleister asks.

"Oh, it's just a technique my old gymnastics coach taught me. I used to get really anxious before competitions, especially on beam. The tenser I was, the more likely I was to fall off, so my coach taught me to train my parasympathetic nervous system to respond to a cue word." I watch him as he moves, careful and balanced. "You're doing pretty well."

"Yes, well, I packed lightly. My bag is almost empty."

"...Smart."

"This is bull," Zahra mutters behind me. "I do _not_ do the outdoors."

"Just a little further," I say encouragingly. "You can make it."

"I know I can make it!" she protests. "I'm just...a little out of my eleme—woah!"

Instinctively, I whip around on the balls of my feet and grab Zahra's arm before she can topple in. "Gotcha!"

"Way too close!" She looks back at me. "Thanks. ...You want money or something?"

"...What? No..."

"You did it for free? Weird." She looks back at the river. "Did not want to end up in there. Who knows what's down there..."

We manage to make it across the log with everyone in one piece. But then Michelle starts rubbing her eye.

"Dammit! I just lost a contact lens!"

"Can I help you look?" I offer.

She sizes me up. "Ugh...fine. So long as we both agree I didn't ask you for help."

I get down on my hands and knees beside Michelle, and the two of us comb through the high grass.

"This is impossible!" she groans.

"Are you sure you're gonna want to put it back in your eye after this?"

"Even as anal retentive as I am about having enough lenses, I only have a three-months' supply. I can stretch each pair about two extra weeks. I don't want to run out any sooner than I have to. I hate wearing glasses."

"Fair enough. Oh! Holy hell, I actually found it!"

The tiny clear dome still has some moisture in it. I balance it on my finger as Michelle grabs a bottle of saline from her purse and squirts it carefully. Transferring it to her index finger, she turns away and slips it back into her eye.

"Alodia, you don't even understand how much you just saved my life."

"Woah...there's something else here, too." I reach through the grass, closing my fingers around a small red rod.

"...What the hell is that?"

Spotting me, Jake comes to kneel beside me. "Well, lookie here. That's a 12-gauge armor-piercing shell casing. It's for the USAS-12 automatic shotgun."

"What's that?"

"Some heavy-duty firepower. My old black-ops squad used those."

"So whoever fired it meant business."

"...That's an understatement." He looks at me for a moment, raising a hand to stroke the back of my head. Then he stands. "...Better to leave it behind, I think."

With Michelle no longer half-blind, we continue. Rourke whistles cheerfully to himself. His nonchalance sets my teeth on edge. I sidle up to him.

"All right, Rourke," I growl under my breath. "You promised me some answers, and now seems like a pretty good time to get them."

Rourke turns to smirk at me. "Do you know what business I am in?"

"...I don't know. Resorts?"

"I dabble. But mainly, I'm in the business of information. And that means I don't give it away for free. I expect a trade."

"A trade."

"I'll answer one question of yours. Only one. But first you will answer one of mine. Fair?"

I consider for a moment. "...Shoot."

"My question is very simple. _What is your name?_ "

I am quiet for a moment. "...It's...it's Alodia."

"Alodia...Alodia...what a delicious name. Archaic, yet elegant. Ornate. Germanic, possibly Visigothic, with a meaning lost to the mists of time. And yet, a name borne by saints and martyrs. ...I had my people search all over the world for you, Alodia. And we could never find you. And to realize

that all this time you were a student at Hartfeld like Aleister...Let's just say, if we survive this, I'll be firing my intelligence staff."

"All right, that's more than enough. My turn."

"Very well. Go ahead."

"...The guests at the Celestial. What happened to them? We traced them to the emergency shelter, but we lost the trail there."

"When it became clear that Mount Atropo was to erupt in a cataclysmic event, I ordered a full evacuation. I can only pray they all made it to safety."

"But the volcano hasn't-"

He holds up a hand. "One question. That was all you were permitted. We must focus on the road ahead."

He marches ahead. I smile to myself behind his back. If what Iris says really is true, I may have a chance to get more answers without having to give him more than I already have. I look over at Jake, standing high atop a boulder, peering northeast. He hops down.

"There's a nice clearing out that way to the right. The river ends in a beautiful lake if you follow it for a bit."

"Might be useful to send someone to get our bearings," Estela says.

"I could go," I say. "It does look beautiful out there." _And the source of the disturbance might be somewhere around there._

"Want some company?" Jake asks with a smile.

"If you're offering, I won't say no."

We follow the river up to the clearing. A beautiful, shimmering lake sparkles in the sunlight before us, looking peaceful and still. Jake takes my hand, lacing his fingers in mine.

"It's gorgeous," I say softly.

"Yeah, you could say that." He frowns. "...Hey...does that look like snow to you?"

I shade my eyes follwing his gaze. In the distance, the peaks of the nearby mountain range glisten white in the sun.

"I think you're right! But in the middle of a heatwave on a Caribbean island? I didn't think the mountains here were nearly high enough for that."

"Yeah. 'Cause they're not."

He leads me over a little ways to the base of the nearest mountain. Snow has piled up in the shade beneath a tropical tree. I reach down and scoop up a handful, sucking in my breath sharply as the cold stings my fingertips.

"It _is_ snow!"

"This place is making less and less sense every minute," he mutters. He steps up to the water's edge and skips a pepple across the its placid surface. I drop the snow and wipe my numb hand on my jeans, joining him under the blistering sun. On impulse, I strip down and wade into the water. It's crisp and cool and it clears the cobwebs the heat has left in my brain. I smile at Jake.

"Come swim with me. The water's perfect."

He strips down and wades in with me, gasping as the water hits him. "Shit! Colder than it looks!" But he plunges in and swims out to join me in the center of the lake. "...Feels damn good, though. ...Couldn't you just stay here, forever?"

I smile wryly. "More than you know," I murmur.

"...Growing up in Louisiana, I used to swim in the bayou all the time. We'd have to clear out real quick if a gator showed up though."

"Diego and I used to spend the summers at the beaches in L.A. His parents used to take us on weekends before we were old enough to go ourselves." I look over at Jake, pausing for a moment. "...You miss your home. Don't you."

"Hm? Nah. Not much back there for me anymore..."

I get the sense he's holding something back, but I don't press him. The cold is starting to sink in, chilling me to my bones. I hear my breath tremble as tremors run through my limbs.

"You shivering?"

"M-m-maybe a little," I admit.

He laughs. "Here. I'll warm you up." He swims over to take me in his arms and pulls me close to his body, bending to kiss me gently. I kiss him back, wrapping my arms around him. He stands in the water, picking me up in his arms without breaking the kiss. When we do finally stop for breath, he smiles at me. "...Feeling warmer?"

"You could say that."

"...I guess we should go back."

"...Yeah. ...Can't forget what we're moving towards."

We head back to the others, catching up with them as they approach an ancient, eroded stone pillar. I jog to catch up with the others, coming up beside Sean.

"Hot as hell," he remarks. "Kinda wishing I'd jumped in the river back there."

"Would've liked to see you fall in."

"Yeah, but that's because you want this whole expedition to turn into a wet T-shirt contest. ...That current looked pretty fast though. Fortunately, I'm a strong swimmer. Back during sophomore year, I blew out my knee. It took a lot of rehab, and a lot of that was swimming. I always thought there was something really calming about it. It...centered me."

I smile at the thought. On my other side, Craig wipes a heavy sweat from his brow.

"Dude, this is garbage!" he moans. "It's so hot! Can't we take a break?"

"You're tired because you're wasting energy complaining," Rourke says flatly.

"I'm gonna waste energy beating your ass, geezer," Craig growls, then looks pleadingly at me. "There's some awesome shade over there from that stone pillar thingy."

"...A quick break couldn't hurt us," I say. "We've hardly had much time to rest in the last fourty-eight hours."

"Finally!"

Although no one is as enthusiastic as Craig, everyone is relieved to have a chance to rest. Aleister slumps against a tree, throwing his bag aside. Craig leans against the shady side of the stone pillar.

"Sweet, sweet shade!" he sighs rapturously. "This is heaven right now."

There is a sudden cracking noise as Craig's weight on the ancient pillar shifts the stones. The pillar begins to topple.

"Aleister!" I yelp. "Look out!"

Aleister scrambles out of the way just as the pillar comes crashing down on the spot where he had just been, shattering into a pile of rubble.

"You nitwit!" Aleister shrieks at Craig. "You utter simpleton! You just crushed my bag!"

"...My B, dude."

Aleister huffs and drags his bag from the heap of stone, dumping out its meager contents.

"Fortunately, I had next to nothing in there."

"Maybe we should keep moving," Sean suggests, "before we destroy more ancient, priceless artifacts."

"But..." Craig protests. "...Nap time..." With a groan, he drags himself back to the march.

The jungle bends before me, turning a cascade of strange colors. I find myself back on the river bank. That must have been the end of the time loop. Quinn is once again remarking that the river looks deep. Estela points out the fallen tree. I realize that my hair and underclothes are totally dry. No sign of the swim I took a few minutes ago. I swallow, preparing to endure the next half hour again. If I can hang on to what I learn each time, perhaps I can locate the source of the disturbance. And hopefully destroy it...

I cross the tree-bridge, steadying Zahra to keep her from falling in. I help Michelle find her contact lens. I tell Rourke my name and endure his reaction so that I may ask him another question.

"Why did you bring us here?"

"I presumed you would ask me that. During the most recent expansion of The Celestial's facilities, a worker discovered a photograph buried in the sands. It was dated to be 500 years old, despite the art of photography only having existed for 200. Photographed therein were eleven young people. All of you, except Aleister. I know you must somehow be critical to solving this island's mysteries."

"...Why not just tell us that?" I murmur, not expecting an answer. To my surprise, though, he does answer.

"Frankly, I intended to. I intended to enlist your help to save the world. Clearly, the world had other plans. ...But that's all you're getting out of me for now."

Once again, I go to the lake with Jake and discover the snow. This time, we sit side-by-side and fill our bottles with clear, cold water, taking long, quiet sips.

"You know, Princess, I think that's about the best water I've ever tasted." He skips a rock along the water's surface, leaving behind a perfect row of rippling circles.

"You're pretty good at that."

"Life could get a little boring in rural Louisiana. My sister and I had a lot of practice entertaining ourselves."

"...You've never mentioned your sister before."

"Nope. But one day, I'll tell you all about her."

He smiles at me, his hair tousling in the breeze. I lean in to kiss him gently. "You promise?"

"Yeah."

I kiss him more deeply, easing him down onto the grass and straddling him. After a moment, I sit up, my hands on his chest, and give him a wink.

"...What was that for? Not that I'm complaining."

"Just wanted to make sure life wasn't getting too boring for you."

"Around you, I don't even think that's possible."

We return to the others, catching up with them as we did before. I speak with Sean and suggest a break. The pillar crumbles. The rainforest bends. I am back at the riverbank. Once again, I cross the bridge. I search the grass. I speak to Rourke.

"What was that radio call we heard?"

"The one you heard over the satellite array in the Observatory, yes. I strongly suspect that was an echo from our planet's likely future."

"An echo...from the future?"

"Yes. Right now, we are in a bubble of time, safe for the moment. But an eruption of Mount Atropo risks plunging the planet itself into a prehistoric time, when all the world was lava. Civilization would immediately be engulfed in the fire of a bygone era. That, my young friend, is what I need your help to prevent."

I go to the lake with Jake and discover the snow. This time, I throw the handful at him before he can react. It bursts into powder against his shoulder, leaving a small wet patch.

"A sneak attack! Aw, you little-"

"Betcha can't catch me!"

He scoops up a handful and hurls it at me, his aim true. I shriek and retaliate. We exchange flung handfuls of soft, fluffy snow, until I peg him in square in the face. He falls backwards into the snowbank.

"You got me! I give up!"

I dive into the snowbank after him. "You sure surrender easy, don't you?"

"Only to you."

I bend to kiss him. "I only accept unconditional surrender."

"Well, I don't want to make this too easy for you."

I laugh and fall into another kiss.

We return. The group rests. The pillar crumbles. The loop resets.

Bridge. Grass. Rourke.

"Tell me about the sea monster."

"Ahh. So you've met Cetus."

"Cetus? It has a name?"

"Roughly translated from thousands of years ago. A name of legend. But as you've no doubt seen, the beast is far more than legend."

"It wasn't so tough. We blue it out of the water with a little plastic explosive."

"A cocky one, aren't you? It has survived far more dangerous foes than you, little friend. It only re-emerged in the last week before your arrival. I've no doubt the two of you shall meet again."

I'm getting more answers out of Rourke. But I don't feel I'm any closer to finding the source of the disturbance. But something is changing. Because this time, it is Estela who offers to go to the lake with me. She marvels at the snow under the tree. This time, she's the one I throw my snowball at. She yelps in surprise.

"Gotcha!"

A slow smile spreads across her face. "Oh, it is so on!" We exchange snowballs until Estela tackles me into the bank.

"I give! I give!" She laughs, rolling off me. We both take a moment to catch our breath.

"...You know...this is the first time in my life I've ever seen snow."

"Seriously? What about Hartfeld? It snows there."

"I transferred in after winter quarter, so I missed it all. ...Maybe this year, if we ever get out of here."

Lying on my back, I turn to Estela. "I promise, when we get back to Hartfeld, you'll get the full winter term experience. Snowball fights, snowmen, hot chocolate...Hell, I'll host a holiday party and invite the whole gang of us."

She smiles, looking up at the sky. "I can't wait."

We return from the lake. The pillar crumbles. The loop resets. Twice more, I steady Zahra. Twice more, I search the grass. I ask two more questions of Rourke.

About the time portal gun: "You know it better than I. I've never been through it. But it is a portable prototype, created in an effort to understand the island's...eccentricities. It carries the occupant forward in time exactly 204 days. No more, no less."

About the tube we found him in: "A sleep tank filled with a tachyon-slowing fluid. My research showed that Mount Atropo's eruption would cause a cascading temporal event. Tearing space-time apart. If I were to endure that effect, I risked instantly aging into dust...or reverting to before I was born. Anything could've been possible. Before the eruption, I entered the tank to keep me at my current age. I'd set it to awaken me shortly after, but clearly the time effects of the blast derailed the scheduled release."

Twice more, I go to the lake with Estela. She tells me she went swimming with her uncle in San Trobida when she was little. How she was just a simple girl then, who didn't know any better that the world was not so simple. She never really knew peace, with Cartel violence in Colombia and civil war in San Trobida. Peace like this, at this lake, almost makes her uneasy. At least in war, she knows where everyone stands.

"You know where I stand, Estela."

"Do I?"

I take her hand. "Right here. Beside you. I'm your friend. Nothing will change that now."

"...I guess you're right. ...I do know that."

The next time the loop resets, something else changes. I turn just a bit too late. I fail to keep Zahra from toppling into the water. She treads the water, and manages to avoid being swept away by the current when she grabs hold of a branch.

"Thank for the help, Alodia!" she splutters.

"Sorry! Here, let me give you a hand up."

"Hurry! There's something glowing at the bottom of the river! Get me outta here!"

With help from Craig, I manage to pull Zahra out of the water.

"...What did you see in the river?"

"No idea. But it's way down there, and even if I wanted to find out, I'm nowhere near a strong enough swimmer to dive that deep."

Something in her words niggles at me. I have the presence of mind ask Rourke another question, at least.

"What's with all the secret doors at The Celestial? We keep finding these secret messages and rooms all over the hotel. The library, that weird museum, the security office behind the game room..."

"Needless to say, once I discovered the true perils of La Huerta, I needed to...remodel the resort."

"You should have closed it!"

"And invite the scrutiny of my rivals? Who could try to steal the island for their own nefarious purposes? No. It had to stay open."

As Rourke walks away, I again feel Zahra's words echoing at the edges of my mind. It isn't until I am speaking to Sean again, hearing him relate his history with swimming that the answer hits me.

"Hey, Sean...do you think you could get something out of the river for me? Zahra says she saw something glowing down there. It might be important."

"Yeah, sure. Probably shouldn't ignore anything that's glowing in this place." He wanders back towards the river and strips off his shirt. I show him where Zahra fell in. "...Yeah, I see it. Looks deep, but I think I should be able to get down there."

He dives gracefully and disappears under the rushing water. I wait. As seconds start to feel more like minutes, I start to get nervous. ...If he drowns within the time loop, will he be alive when it resets? Would there be any chance to save him? Just as these thoughts start to become real concerns, he pops up, inhaling deeply, and swims easily to the riverbank.

"Check it out. I found something at the bottom!" He puts something smooth and heavy into my hands. I instantly recognize it.

"...It's another of those orbs! Like we find in the mining tunnels at the shelter! ...I can feel some sort of energy running through it..."

"Should we put our hands in the grooves again?" Quinn asks.

I don't respond. If this is the source of the time loop, I have to destroy it. I smash it as hard as I can against a rock, but I only succeed in sending vibrations through my arms that set my teeth rattling. Also, everyone looks at me like I've gone nuts.

"...What are you doing?" Michelle asks.

"Trying to break it? Obviously?"

"Yes, we see that," Quinn says slowly. "...Why?"

"Because..." I trail off, remembering what Iris said. I can't tell them without reality caving in on itself. "...I have...anger issues?"

"Truth," Zahra says. "I feel ya."

Well, at least the great thing about the time loop resetting next time is that no one will remember me saying that...

Back at the riverbank, I find that the orb is still in my hands. It didn't return to the river when the loop reset. It exists outside of time. _Like me,_ I think involuntarily.

This time, I manage to catch Zahra again before she falls in. I talk to Rourke again.

"What happened to the boats at the marina?"

"You've visited my private marina! You _are_ resourceful! Why couldn't I have a child with your cunning and persistence?" He ruffles my hair. His touch makes my skin crawl. I pull away sharply, glaring daggers.

"Don't touch me!" I snarl.

"I'm not so bad once you get to know me. In any case, the explanation is simple. After the evacuation, I feared the Hostiles could use the long-distance watercraft at the marina and attack neighboring islands. I couldn't allow that to enter the realm of possibility." He looks down at the crystal orb I'm clutching. "I see you have found one of La Huerta's mysterious crystals. Beautiful, are they not? They can get heavy. Perhaps you should have someone carry it for you."

"I can manage," I snap. But a little while later, as I watch the pillar topple for the seventh or eighth time, smashing Aleister's bag, the solution hits me over the head like a mallet on a whac-a-mole. When the loop resets, as soon as we're across the bridge, I approach Aleister.

"Hey, Aleister, I know you packed pretty light. Would you mind carrying something for me?" I hold out the orb.

"Another of those damned things! ...Wait a moment, what makes you think I'd carry something for you?"

"...Because I'll put in a good word for you with Grace? A little extra praise never hurts."

He considers, and then sighs. "Fine. Give it here." He slips it into his bag.

I sidle up to Rourke one more time. If this works, this will be the last question I can ask him.

I think for a moment.

"What is this island?"

He smirks. "My young friend, you are asking the question I've asked myself for a very long time. Thirty-seven years, two and half billion dollars later, and all I can say with certainty is this: This island is the single point at which time folds in on itself. Past...present...future...all happening in simultaneity. What exactly the future holds for us is...well...uncertain. And ready to be molded by the right person."

When he shoos me away, I go. My heart is knocking painfully against my ribs. _Please, let this work..._

I visit the lake, with Jake again. We kiss in the cold water. We catch up with the group. I talk with Sean. Craig moans about the heat, and I suggest a break. We all sit down, exhausted. Aleister lays down his bag and slumps against a tree. Craig sinks against the pillar. The ancient stones shift and start to topple.

"Aleister! Look out!"

He scrambles out of the way.

 _Crrrrsh!_

Aleister shrieks angrily, dragging his bag out of the rubble. I race up to him as Craig sheepishly apologizes. Aleister dumps out the contents of his bag, now including the crystal orb, cracked in two. It's bright blue light has faded, rendering it a cold, dull gray.

I feel myself trembling. ...That's it...the source of the loop is destroyed...

"Apologies for your belongings, Alodia," Aleister says glumly. "But-"

" _I did it!"_ I shriek elatedly.

"Uh, what now?" Sean asks.

I shake my head. "Don't worry about it."

"Can we keep going now?" Michelle asks tiredly.

"Yes," I answer, unable to keep from grinning. "Now we can move on."

As we pass by the shattered pillar, I get another glimpse at the split orb, the way it's cleaved in two... A feeling of deja-vu washes over me. There is a familiarity about it that I cannot place. I catch Rourke's eyes. His mouth splits into a grin, and I realize he recognizes it, too. ...And perhaps he knows from where.

"Hey, Alodia..." Sean's voice pulls me back to the present. "You see that, over there?" He points up into the trees ahead, where there is something gold sparkling among the branches.

"What is it?"

"I dunno. Come on, let's check it out." I take a few tentative steps, suddenly nervous that I'll find myself at the riverbank again, but time holds steady. We push on through the rainforest. Sean keeps his eyes on the gold glint in the trees. "There's definitely something in the branches there."

As we get a little closer, the size and color of it start to look familiar. "I see it! I think it's one of those amber idol things, like Rourke had in his museum..."

"Want me to climb up there and grab it for you?"

"Sure, what the heck." I grin. "Get me that idol, man!"

He grins back. "Your wish is my command, fair lady!"

He grabs the bottom branch and pulls himself up, scaling the tree with his usual athleticism.

"Careful up there!"

"Don't worry about me! I've almost got it!" After a brief pause, he calls out, "Woah! Alodia, you're not gonna believe this! The tree looks like its grown around the idol! It's like it's part of the tree!"

"Can you get it out?"

"Yeah, I just need to pull...real...hard...Got it!" The branches rustle as he climbs back down, dropping beside me. In his hand is an amber idol, almost Egyptian in appearance, depicting an eagle-headed man on a throne. "For you."

He holds it out for me. I reach for it. Just as before, the moment my fingertips graze the idol, the world flashes white.

 _I stand in the middle of the living room of a Hartfeld apartment, like the one Diego and I share on campus. The LCD clock on the microwave reads 2:13 am. Sean, slouched at the kitchen table over a pile of economics homework, rubs his eyes. Somehow, I know he has had a full day today. Practice, classes, work-study... He mumbles to himself as he fights through the exhaustion, determined to complete the assignment in front of him._

 _"Equilibrium price and quantity if demand is..."_

 _His phone buzzes a text alert. The screen lights up with the word 'MOM'._

 _'Your dad asked about you again,' the text reads. 'He misses you.'_

 _Sean shakes his head, tossing the phone onto the sofa in the living room a few feet away. There is the sound of a key turning in the door. Craig walks in, looking anxious._

 _"Dude," he moans. "I am so screwed!"_

 _Sean looks up, alarmed. "What's going on?"_

 _"Know how Coach asked us about the rumors that the sports agent guy was giving free stuff to players? Well..."_

 _He opens his backpack and pulls out a brand new, high-end laptop. Sean's eyes widen._

 _"Craig! Dude, why the hell did you take that?! You know if the NCAA finds out you're taking free stuff, you'll lose your scholarship! You'll be kicked off the team!"_

 _"I know, I know! I'm an idiot, okay? I just really wanted to play this computer game with a girl in my calc class. My old laptop sucked too hard to handle the graphics, and you know my folks can't afford a decent one." He slumps onto the couch, burying his head in his hands. "I know I shouldn't have taken it, but I did and now I'm screwed! Someone saw me with it and ratted me out. I'm already on thin ice with Coach. Now I'm done for. As soon as he proves I took this laptop-"_

 _"He won't." Sean takes the laptop and slips it into his own bag. "Because I'm the one who took it from the agent."_

 _Craig's head shoots up. "Dude, what? I can't let you take the fall for me. You'll get in so much trouble!"_

 _"I can handle it. You can't. Coach can't kick me off the team, so let me do this. I need you out on that field. You're not just my teammate, you're my brother. I can't do this without you. ...I've got this."_

 _"...I owe you, man," Craig whispers. "I owe you everything."_

Reality warps around me, and I slingshot forward in time.

 _Sean waves his arms wildly._

 _"Over here! Over here, big guy! Look at me!"_

 _The sabertooth tiger snarls, its sword-like incisors glistening in the moonlight that shines over a cliff._

 _"Sean, what are you doing?!" Michelle screams._

 _Sean leaps nimbly over the rocks towards the cliff's edge, leading the great cat away from our friends._

 _"Don't worry about me! I can handle it! Run!"_

 _The sabertooth pounces, pinning Sean to the dirt at the edge of the precipice. Sean grips the creature's massive fangs, wrestling it towards the edge._

 _"Don't do it, man!" Craig yells._

 _"Sean, no!" Michelle screams, tears streaming from her eyes. Her voice suddenly goes soft. "Sean...please...no..."_

 _"I've got this," Sean growls. He rolls over the edge of the cliff, taking the sabertooth with him. They vanish out of sight..._

"...Alodia? You all right?"

I look up sharply. "...Sean..." I choke on a sudden sob and wrap my arms around his chest, gripping him tightly. He hesitates a moment before hugging me back. I grip the idol, white-knuckled.

"You two!" Rourke barks. "You're falling behind! Keep up. The Hostiles' stronghold is just over this ridge."

I take a moment to compose myself before I pull back from Sean and slip the idol into my backpack before we both move to catch up with the rest of the group. We trudge up the steepening slopes. A low sound reaches my ears, carried on the wind.

"...Do you guys hear that?" Quinn asks suddenly. "Is that...?"

"...Horns," Michelle confirms.

I break into a sprint, the others following suit. The forest grows thinner, sunlight shining through gaps in the canopy. In the distance, I start to make out an impossibly enormous tree rising into the sky, almost towering over the peak of Mount Atropo itself. I emerge from the underbrush and finally gain a clear view.

...It's a city. A massive city built into the trees. The tallest of the trees could dwarf a skyscraper. Huts are carved into the enormous trunks, all connected by an intricate series of rope bridges. ...I have seen this city before. On the beach, when lion-masked Watcher touched my forehead, allowing me to communicate with him.

"Now that's what I call a treehouse!" Raj breathes.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Grace whispers. "It's...impossible! Trees have never grown that large!"

"Not yet, you mean," Rourke says. "But one day, they will."

The horns blast again. Far below, I see a small phalanx of Watchers marching out of the village's base. In the center of the group, his hands bound, is a familiar figure. My hand flies to my mouth. I can just make him out down below. His hair has grown almost to his shoulders. His face is covered by six months' growth of black fur. ...But I would know him anywhere.

"...Is that...?" Aleister murmurs.

"It's him," Sean confirms.

"Diego..." I whisper, tears of relief clouding my eyes. "He's alive."


	3. Search and Rescue

I want to scream his name. I want to run to him and take him in my arms and promise him I'll never let anyone take him from me again. I even take a step in the direction of the village, but Jake grabs my arm, holding me back.

One of the Watcher women shoves Diego forward. He stumbles a little, but he goes with them. An elderly male Watcher glances at him briefly before beckoning the group onward with a wave of his hand, hobbling forward on a gnarled staff.

"Diego!" My voice comes out in a whimper of protest.

"Where are they taking him?" Quinn wonders.

"My, look at them go," Rourke says with a smile. "Such charming primitives. And certainly worthy of further study..."

"We ain't here to study them, Daddy Weirdbucks," Jake snaps. "We're here to get Princess her B.F.F. back."

"Mr. McKenzie, are you unfamiliar with the phrase, 'know thine enemy'? From the details in your file, one would think you'd have learned that lesson."

"You sonuva-"

"Now, now. I'm simply suggesting that we analyze their behavior to improve our odds of successfully rescuing your dear friend."

"You have no idea how ridiculous altruism looks on you, do you?" Aleister mutters.

"He knows," Estela says flatly. "He just thinks we're stupid."

"...Whatever the Watchers are up to, I doubt it's good," Jake says. "We gotta get him outta there."

"But there must be dozens of them," Quinn says softly. "...What chance do we have?"

In the face of overwhelming odds, everyone goes silent, shifting awkwardly. Finally I speak.

"...I can go in myself. No need to risk anyone else getting caught. But Diego's my best friend. I've gotta do whatever it takes to get him back."

"...Brave," Estela remarks. "Stupid, but brave."

"No way!" Craig cries. "You can't take these dudes out by yourself, Alodia!"

"I'm not sticking around to watch you Leeroy Jenkins yourself!" Zahra declares flatly.

Jake puts a hand on my shoulder. "There was a time when I tried to go it alone. Thought I'd be doin' my old team a favor. It's a choice I regret every day of my life." He squeezes my shoulder. "Like it or not, Alodia, I'm coming with you."

Iris projects out beside us. "Combined, Alodia and Jake's projected chance of success rises to 7%."

"That's being a tad generous," Aleister grumbles.

"Screw the numbers!" Sean says sharply. "Are you guys seriously going to let these two go out and get captured or killed by those Watchers? Alodia needs our help. Diego needs our help. If we ever make it off this crazy island, it will only be because we worked as a team. A team stays a team until the job is done. Now who's _in?"_

One by one, the others step forward to join me.

"Let's do this!" Craig growls.

"Yeah!" Quinn cries.

"If it weren't for Alodia, I would have been captured, too," Raj says. "I'm in."

"We have to help him," Grace agrees.

"I suppose I did make a promise," Aleister admits. I give my friends a watery smile.

"...God, you guys are the best..."

"What a merry band of brothers," Rourke purrs. "Iris, how are our chances looking now?"

"With everyone together, projected success is now 12%."

"Man, we could really use ex-C.I.A badass Bryan Mills right now," Raj mutters.

"Potential success increases to 48% if assisted by Liam Neeson's character from the movie _Taken_."

"Woah! That's gotta be, like, almost four times as much!"

"Technically, Raj, that's exactly four times as much," Grace says, grinning.

"In case you dorks haven't noticed," Michelle says irritably, "This isn't a movie!"

"Right." Craig claps his hands. "Since they don't know we're coming, I say we set up a fast hit and catch 'em with their pants down!"

"Like we caught you outside Sigma Theta in spring quarter?" Michelle snorts.

"Exactly! It'd be just like the Galician Gambit in-"

" _Gods and Warlords III!"_ Zahra finishes. "We could only beat it when we teamed up..."

"You remember that?"

"Of course. But like I always told you, stealth is what gets you in and out without anyone noticing. That's the strategy we should use here."

"Ha! Yeah, you were all about those invisibility cloaks!"

"Aww, you two are adorable together," Quinn cooes. "I didn't know you were friends!"

Craig and Zahra look at each other and blush, stammering.

"We're...we're not..."

"Of course not! Craig's idea is stupid anyway."

"No, yours is stupid! We can't just slip past the Watchers! They'll catch us!"

"Oh, so instead you think you can surprise attack? No wonder you always got _wrecked,_ meathead."

"At least I don't think I'm some ninja when I'm really just a wannabe punk who steals nail polish from Hot Topic!"

"Woah, woah!" I cry. "Let's not say anything we can't take back, Craig! ...Now, Rourke knows more about the Watchers than any of us. Let's hear his opinion on the matter."

"I was hoping you might ask." Rourke clears his throat. "Now. All reports on our not-so-friendly tribal folk indicate that they possess superhuman vision, hearing, strength, and agility. It would be extraordinarily difficult either to ambush them or to slip by unnoticed."

"Helpful as ever, Father. Do you actually have a suggestion, or are you merely pontificating as is your custom?"

"I am, after all, a man of ideas, Aleister. The only way to get past the Hostiles is for them to not be there at all."

"Do you always talk in riddles?" Jake growls. "Or just when you're trying to get punched in the face?"

Rourke rolls his eyes. "Allow me to rephrase that in a way that your meager minds can comprehend. We have to _lure_ the Hostiles _away._ "

"So...a distraction," I say.

"At least one of you has a brain. Misdirection, disinformation, a little sleight of hand...these are invaluable skills in all walks of life."

"Just take it from a liar like him," Estela says flatly.

"This guy creeps me out," Michelle declares. "But I think he's right."

"Aleister?" I ask. "What do you think?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, if there's anyone who knows how to deceive and manipulate, it's my father."

I feel something at the edges of my mind, creeping in. A familiar presence. Everything around me goes quiet.

"...He's here," I whisper.

"...Who's here?" Jake asks.

"Everyone get down!"

Everyone dives out of sight as a lone Watcher emerges from the trees nearby. At his side prowls a deadly, sinous beast with fangs like swords. He speaks in a foreign tongue to the creature, but in my mind, I hear him in English.

"They went this way."

The sabertooth growls under its breath. The Watcher spots the last of Diego's escort entering the rainforest and heads in their direction, the great cat following at his side. Suddenly, he stops. I can feel him in my mind. ...And with a start, I realize that I am in his, too.

"Alodia!" Quinn whispers frantically. "He turned around! He's coming this way!"

"I think he can read my thoughts," I whisper back, dread spreading through me like a stain.

"Then think about something else!" Jake hisses. "Make him leave!"

I close my eyes, and call a familiar face to my mind. Diego. His handsome, boyish face, now covered by a six-month beard. I see him smiling. Laughing. ...Frightened. Hurt. Crying. Anything I can think of to keep him in my mind. I hear him joking. He jokes more when he's stressed...

The tall Watcher stops. He looks back in the direction Diego's escort took him.

"It was nothing," he murmurs. "Let's go."

The Watcher sprints into the brush and out of sight, the sabertooth bounding after him. I exhale slowly, letting the tension bleed out of me.

"Truly incredible," Rourke murmurs. "What a fascinating specimen you are, Alodia."

"Alodia, you just Jedi mind-tricked the hell outta that dude!" Raj exclaims. "Can I be your Padawan?"

Quinn laughs. "How's that for the power of positive thinking?"

We stand slowly. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Quinn reaching out toward a tree to brace herself. I turn to her.

"Quinn? What's wrong?"

"Nothing...just...a little dizzy..." She wobbles, and then abruptly pitches forward, her knees buckling. I gasp, leaping forward just in time to catch her before she hits the ground.

"Quinn!"

She moans a little as I lower her gently to the ground. "I think I...need to lie down for a second..."

Her face is deadly pale, almost ashen. Her breathing comes out in ragged gasps, shallow and labored. I stroke her forehead and my hand comes away slick with sweat. Her skin is hot to the touch.

"She's not looking so good," Grace murmurs.

"I...I think she has a fever," I add.

"Don't let me...slow you down. ...You have to...save Diego..."

"I'm not just going to leave you behind!"

She smiles weakly up at me. "Oh, Alodia...I'm not...what's important here. And I...I don't think...I'm gonna be getting up...for a bit..." She chokes, her body jerking in a violent spasm of coughing.

"It's probably heatstroke," Zahra murmurs. "We should get her into some shade."

Michelle shakes her head. "No. Shade won't hurt, but with this respiratory distress, it's gotta be something else."

"My scanners indicate that the Hostiles are moving steadily eastward," Iris chimes.

"Not good," Jake mutters. "At this rate, we won't be able to catch up."

"Go," Michelle says. "I'll stay here and see if I can find something to bring her fever down. And get her electrolytes up."

"I'll remain and keep watch," Aleister volunteers.

"I'll stay with Aleister," Grace says.

"Me too," Raj says. "Three pairs of eyes are better than two. We can all keep lookout."

"We should have a distress signal that Malfoy can sound if more Watchers show up."

"What about some kind of whistled melody?" I suggest.

"How about Chopin's 'Nocturne'?" He quietly whistles a series of trilling notes.

"That's perfect. It sounds almost like a bird call, but it's distinctive enough to recognize."

"I do have some talents."

"You certainly do," Grace agrees.

"Well, I think that about covers it. ...You guys be safe here, okay?"

"We will, Alodia," Grace says. "You guys go get Diego back."

As the setting sun disappears behind the mountains, the rest of us march resolutely into the rainforest, following the trail left by Diego's escort. We're not far behind them. But a few minutes in, we're forced to stop and take cover when a pair of Watchers suddenly rounds the bend up ahead.

"All right, Lex Luthor," Jake murmurs. "You said you had a plan?"

"Of course," Rourke whispers back. "The first lesson is this: never do work yourself when others can do it for you. Iris?"

"Yes, Mr. Rourke. Activating audio playback..."

Iris' hologram flickers and vanishes. The small projector drone flutters over behind the Watchers.

"Ha'kalast, zabitu na klaawyi!" the drone exclaims.

One of the Watchers wheels on the other, glaring daggers. "Tellok rapta?"

"Zokk nijlaz! Q'arrkalni!"

The Watchers dive at each other, wrestling in a brawl that takes them rolling down the hill.

"Iris!" I whisper. "What did you do?"

"I simply played back a recording of a Hostile calling another one 'as ugly as a klaawyi's butt'."

"What's a klaawyi?" Craig asks. "Does it have an ugly butt?"

"Affirmative."

"That was brilliant, sir!" Lila exclaims. "Getting them to fight amongst themselves? Just brilliant!"

" _Divide et impera_ ," Rourke replies.

"...What's that?"

"Divide and conquer," Iris translates. "The Rourke family motto."

"...Charming." I exhale. "Well, we're okay for now, but there'll only be more Watchers once we get closer to Diego."

"Right," Jake agrees. "And if you're spotted things could get bad for him real quick. ...Thankfully, I came prepared."

He kneels down to unzip his pack and digs around inside, pulling out a camouflage jacket and pants.

"Oh, nice!" Sean says. "I bet you could get really close without even being seen in that. Maybe even close enough to eavesdrop if you needed to."

Jake passes the jacket and pants to me. I hastily strip down to bra and panties and pull on the gear. I stretch experimentally.

"I think this fits pretty nicely."

Jake looks me up and down appreciatively. "I'll say. ...You might wanna zip up the jacket, though. You're so pale, the sun hits you you're gonna sparkle like a Twilight vampire."

"In that case, something should be done about her hair, too," Sean suggests.

"I've got a cap," Craig says. "It's brown. Might be a little big for Alodia, though."

He digs around and passes me the cap. I try it on. "Hmm...a little loose, but just a little. I'll pull it tight as it goes and tuck my hair up under it. That should keep it on."

"Are we set, then?" Zahra asks impatiently. "We should get a move on."

After taking a moment to assess our surroundings, we continue carefully on our way. Craig moves up next to Rourke.

"So, you think you're some kinda big shot, Mr. Rourke?"

"I'm a man who believes in hard work, ambition, and thrift. No less and no more. And feel free to call me Everett, Craig."

"We're not supposed to do that!"

"He's not a teacher, dorkwad!" Zahra snaps. "Do you mind keeping your mouth shut? You're making us break stealth."

"I'm just doin' me, Z! And I say he's a stuck-up tool who's really just a big fish in a little pond!"

"Princess, if he keeps mouthing off at Phony Stark, we're sitting ducks."

"Hey, Craig," I say, "remind me...Do you happen to know who won Super Bowl XXII?"

"Pff! Of course! Wait. Super Bowl _Twenty-Two?"_

Sean chuckles. "Come on, Craig, it was the-"

"Shut up, don't tell me, dude! I know this! Uh...hang on. Just gimme a sec." He lapses into silence, searching his memory.

Zahra nudges me. "Nice job, Alodia," she whispers.

We move forward in silence. Soon the dense overgrowth thins, and an expansive canyon comes into view. Ruined structures poke out of the forest canopy like ancient, bleached bones, gleaming in the moonlight. Up ahead, a path curves sharply around a pyramid-like structure with intricate carvings on its steeply sloping walls. A group of Watchers stands guard along the path near the pyramid.

"Careful..." I murmur.

"Must be something important about that building," Lila muses.

"With you in those camos, you and I could probably sneak over and check it out," Jake whispers to me. "After we get eyes on what they're guarding, we can regroup on the other side of the bend."

I nod. "Let's do it."

We make our way towards the pyramid, keeping low and quiet. The Watchers don't even glance in our direction.

"Don't see any doors in this thing," Jake murmurs. "Must be some kinda monument."

A statue of a reclining woman dominates the front of the pyramid. Her arms are crossed over her chest in a funerary pose, and a gold ring gleams on one finger. Her expression is serene in her slumber. I examine the carvings a little more closely. A highly detailed relief depicts a crowd of people gathered around a woman whose face is hidden behind a mask.

"...I think the statue is of the same woman as the one in the carving. Except the statue isn't wearing a mask."

"...You making any sense of this?"

"Well, the Watchers seem to revere this place, but the people depicted in the carvings are in modern clothes."

"Relatively modern. Tuxes and evening gowns. Looks like a costume party for the well-to-douche."

I examine the ring on the statue. It's badly deteriorated, but the band appears to be gold. Light still refracts from the darkened facets of the jewel.

"...I think it's a wedding ring..." There's an engraving along the band that I can just barely make out. " 'July 21st 1921 and Ever After'."

"...Her arms are crossed too tight to get the ring. If we want it, we might have to play Indiana Jones."

"Well, they got it on her somehow. There's no way the two were just formed together. There has to be a way to free it..."

A strange idea occurs to me. I raise both hands and cover the statue's face. A muffled click resounds from somewhere nearby. Jake and I both jump, scrambling for cover in case the noise draws the guards' attention. The statue's arm slowly swings outward, allowing the ring to slide off and drop to the ground. We hold our breath for a minute. When no one seems to have heard the noise, we creep back out.

"...Gonna have to start calling you Genius," Jake remarks, affectionately ruffling my hair. He kneels down to pick up the ring and holds it out to me. I grin.

"Oh...is this a proposal?"

He grins back. "You want it to be?"

I take the ring from him. He stands and takes a step towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I let mine encircle his neck. We lock eyes for a moment, then he leans in and brushes my lips with his.

"Vas tahk ri!"

Jake starts. "I think they heard us after all. Time to move!"

We take off around the back of the pyramid. Our friends wait on the other side, near the end of the bend.

"You two all right?" Lila asks.

"Let's get moving," I answer shortly. As we hurry onward, we can faintly hear the sound of drumming in the distance. The path arrives at a steep cliff. Below, we can see dozens of Watchers gathered around a bonfire. Beside the fire stands the elderly male Watcher I noticed earlier, the one with the gnarled staff. He speaks, and his words echo across the valley.

"Khalarat vaantilar, anlakan vaalta..."

My heart stops for a moment as a pair of Watchers drag Diego before the old man.

"There he is!" Craig says, just a little louder than I'm comfortable with.

"Shh!" Zahra hisses.

Murphy briefly brushes against my leg, then starts toward a thicket of trees near the edge of the cliff. He pauses, looking back at me.

"Mrurr!" he trills

"He wants me to follow him," I murmur.

"Nice spot to scout the Watchers," Jake remarks. "Maybe get some idea what they're up to."

"...If...it looks like they're going to hurt him..."

"We won't let them. Promise."

I nod and follow Murphy towards the cliff. I get down low, sneaking along the edge of the precipice, my camo gear keeping me concealed within the brush.

The old man—likely a shaman, I realize—places a bony hand on Diego's shoulder. From my position, I can just make out Diego's voice.

"Look, I don't think that horcrux thing you want is here..."

"Lok!" the shaman replies. "Pashtak buala vaalta!"

Diego rolls his eyes, exasperated. "I'm not some sniffer dog that you can use to confiscate people's smokeables!"

The shaman tips his head. "...Za? Un raa kosh-"

"Yes, I know that analogy doesn't make sense. Can we just try somewhere else or something?"

The tall Watcher, the one whose mind is linked with mine, approaches Diego and the shaman.

"Let him be," he says firmly. "He needs a break."

"But we're so close!" the shaman protests. "Can you not feel it?"

I draw in my breath sharply as I realize I can hear the shaman's words in English in my head. It seems that through my connection to the tall Watcher, I can understand not only him, but those who are addressing him. ...Perhaps I am deeper in his mind than I realize. ...And he in mine...

"Of course," he replies. "But you cannot rush destiny. The idol will choose the right time to reveal itself. Is that not what you preached to us?"

"Oho...Wise words, boy. So be it!"

I look on as the tall Watcher leads Diego towards an overgrown ruined temple. The two of them climb a set of stairs and disappear into a shadowy doorway. Murphy trills excitedly.

"Come on, fella! Let's get back to the others."

I hurry back to the group and quickly relay what I saw.

"Nice work!" Zahra says. "Guess you're the real ninja here."

"Sounds like they're searching for something," Estela says. "Something of spiritual importance."

"This is our chance," Jake declares. "If we can get into that ruin, we've only got one Watcher between us and Diego."

"There are still too many of the them near the entrance," I say.

"We need a distraction then," Sean suggests. "Someone to make some noise and then run. Leave it to me."

"Wait! You can't-"

"Six-hundred and thirty-one yards," Craig says with a smirk. "Tell 'em, Sean."

"You mean when we passed for six-hundred and thirty-one yards when we played Kenton State?"

"Chyeah! My man's unstoppable. He's got this Alodia."

"Hold on, Bob Costas. I've watched enough of your games to know you can dodge a linebacker. Thing is, it's a lot different when they're coming to take you down for good. I've got experience with lure-and-destroy missions. I should be the one to distract them." Jake suddenly realizes we've all raised our eyebrows at him. "...What?"

Sean grins. "You've watched my games?"

"...Uh...well..."

I can help grinning myself. "Jake! Are you a Sean Gayle fan?"

"What? No! I just...gamble on sports now and then, that's all! I'll thank you to shut up, Princess. Anyway, the point stands. It should be me."

Sean looks at me. "I'll yield to you, Aloida."

I nod. "...I think Jake's right. He has more experience in these kinds of situations. Sean, you stay with me."

Jake nods. "Ladies and gentlemen...the show's about to begin!"

"Well, I'm not about to miss this," Zahra says. "I'm in."

"Heck yeah!" Craig crows. "Me too!"

"...You guys sure? We might not be comin' back."

"You should accompany them, Lila," Rourke says.

"...Me, sir?"

"Yes. This is what I need you for at present."

Almost robotically, Lila walks over to join Jake and the others. I give Jake a quick kiss.

"You be safe, okay? I want you to come back."

"Don't worry, Princess. I can't stay away from you for long." He strides purposefully down the pathway toward the canyon floor. Zahra, Craig, and Lila follow. Soon, angry shouts and ululations of warning erupt from the gathered Watchers. The entire group gives chase.

"Now's our chance!" I hiss. "Go!"

The rest of us carefully make our way down the ravine toward the overgrown structure.

"Iris, run a scan of that building," Rourke orders.

"Scanning...Only the two individuals seen entering are detected inside, sir."

"Excellent."

"Does your pet have any other tricks up her sleeve?" I ask.

"Just a few essentials. One may not be able to find good help in this day and age, but with the right algorithms, you can certainly manufacture it."

We creep carefully up to the building and slip inside. Within, moonlight filters through gaps in the crumbling walls to reveal what appears to be a temple. Ceremonial braziers along the walls cast golden tongues of flickering light over the stone walls and floor. Diego and the Watcher stand near an altar at the center of the room.

"We should stay back and observe before making our move," Rourke whispers.

Estela ushers me behind a pillar. The others take up similar cover.

"...I am sorry for the way you were treated," the Watcher is saying. To my surprise, I hear the English words coming from his own mouth, not inside my head. Diego rubs his wrists, and I realize that his bonds have been cut.

"Why are these idols so important, anyway?" Diego asks.

"Uqzhaal believes they will bring about Raan'losti, a time of great chains."

Diego pauses. "Um...I think you mean 'change'."

"Yes. Chains."

"No, it's-"

The Watcher's brow furrows in concentration. "Chuh-ayn-juh..." He looks at Diego. "...This is right?"

"Better," Diego says, chuckling. The Watcher laughs, too. They resume searching. Diego tosses his head, blowing irritably at the strands of hair falling into his face.

"Ugh. This look really only works on Milo Ventimiglia."

"Here. I will help."

The tall Watcher raises his hands in an offer of assistance. Diego turns around and the Watcher gently braids a section of hair near the crown of his head.

"Oh, much better. Thanks!" As Diego turns back to him, the Watcher's hand moves to rest on his shoulder.

"Of course."

They are silent for a moment, looking at each other.

"...I guess we should keep looking," Diego finally says.

"Hmm? Oh. Yes."

Diego suddenly freezes, eyes wide. "Something's...in the wall." He reaches up into an unassuming notch in the temple wall, and pulls out a small statue of gleaming amber.

"You...you found it!"

"We should act now before the others arrive," Estela hisses to me.

"Agreed."

In one smooth motion, Estela takes aim and hurls her spear at the Watcher, blunt end first. It connects solidly with the Watcher's temple, and he slumps to the ground.

"Varyyn!" Diego exclaims.

"Diego!" At the sound of my cry, he looks up, his eyes widening as I come out of my hiding place and hurry towards him, picking my way over the uneven stone floor. "Are you all right?"

"...Allie...? It really is you...I knew it! I knew you wouldn't forget about me!" He hurries towards me and I catch him in my arms, holding him tightly. Then he seems to notice the others over my shoulder. "Wait...what the hell is _he_ doing here?"

He steps back, glaring at Rourke, who smugly offers him a handshake.

"Everett Aleister Rourke the First. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Diego."

Diego backs away, suddenly looking panicked. "I knew it. None of you are here. This is just a dream inside of a dream...I bet the van's going off the bridge right now."

I grasp him by the shoulders. "Diego! Listen to me! This is real! We're here, and Rourke is helping us to rescue you!"

"But...where's everyone else?"

"Either distracting the Watchers or keeping lookout."

He lets out a shuddering breath, slowly calming down. "...They're okay...everyone's okay."

"Yeah...everyone's okay." He pulls me into his arms again, and I feel myself starting to cry a little. "Everyone's okay. And so are you...Oh, god, I'm so sorry we couldn't get here sooner..."

"I'm okay, Allie. I'm so glad to see you."

I pull back a little to look him over. "What were they making you do?"

"Search for this." He holds up the gleaming figurine, a male figure in a loincloth with a canine head, kneeling with his hands on his knees. "Supposedly, there's a bunch of these that they lost in a civil war a thousand years ago. They're part of their religion. Allie...where have you been?"

"The portal sent us forward in time. …We only emerged three days ago."

"Great Scott!" he exclaims. I can't help but laugh. It's just so good to see him and hear his voice again. Then, in the distance, I can hear a whistled melody echoing across the canyon.

"The signal!"

"So much for our escape route," Estela says mournfully.

Diego looks at me. "You've got to get out of here."

"Not without you!"

"If they come back and I'm gone, they'll hunt you down. If I stay, they won't know you were here. The idols are all they care about. It's why they came for us."

I shake my head fiercely. "I'm not losing you again, Diego! I need you! You're the only best friend I've got..."

He smiles weakly. "Heh...tell me something I don't know. ...God, I missed you guys. The Vaanti aren't so great conversationally. They could really stand to get some basic cable out here, at least. I mean, who hasn't seen _The Jungle Book?"_

I take him by the shoulders, giving them a squeeze. Ramblings like this usually mean he's getting stressed. And no wonder. I can hear footsteps from the stairs outside.

"Hand me the idol, quickly!" Rourke orders. "I'll hide it from them."

Diego shifts back slightly, hesitating. Before he can make up his mind, a large group of Watchers files in, including the old shaman.

"Uq vaalta!" the shaman exclaims. "Well done! You have brought us the idol...and the Catalysts both!"

"Hold on!" Sean cries. "Suddenly _all_ of you speak English?"

The shaman ignores him, hobbling forward with a spring in his step, his hand outstretched to receive the idol.

"Come now, Canis."

"Hold on!" Diego says firmly, putting himself between me and the shaman. "You have to promise that you won't hurt my friends."

"Hurt them? Bah! Of course not! You and your friends are the key to our people's future!"

Diego looks into the Watcher shaman's deep crimson eyes, then slowly nods and finally offers up the idol.

" _No!"_ Rourke kicks over a brazier, sending flames licking upward along an overgown wall. Pulling a knife from his jacket, he rushes toward Diego, knocking the shaman and me aside.

"Diego!" I scream. Rourke gets an arm around him from behind, pressing the blade to his throat. "You... _bastard!_ Let him go!"

As the flames spread, the tall Watcher moans, his eyes fluttering. As he pushes himself upward, his eyes fall on Rourke and Diego.

"No!" he cries.

Rourke meets my eyes. "As I said, I am a man who believes in hard work, ambition, and thrift. When there are loose ends to be cut, I do not hesitate."

The Watcher leaps to his feet. "Release him!" he snarls.

"Gladly. However, I'll need your people to get out of my way first."

The tall Watcher nods to the other warriors, who reluctantly clear a path out of the temple.

"No!" Estela snarls. "I'm not about to let him just walk away!" Her knuckles are white around the shaft of her spear as she points it at Rourke.

"For the sake of decorum," Rourke says, "if you wouldn't mind putting your weapons away..." Diego inhales sharply as the blade presses a little closer against his throat.

"Do it!" the tall Watcher and I shout together, he to his warriors and me to Estela.

"The Hydra cannot be allowed to leave with the idol!" the shaman protests.

The flames are still spreading. They've engulfed the ceiling, and cinders begin to rain down around us.

"This place is coming down!" Sean yells.

"You have the idol and a way out, Hydra!" the tall Watcher growls, barely disguising the desperation in his face. "Now let him go."

With Rourke's eyes on the Watcher, I take the opportunity to edge slowly closer to his position.

"Much appreciated," Rourke says. "I'll also be taking what belongs to me. Iris, activate Directive 1908."

"...Activating...loading previous command set. Memory reboot in three...two...one." She blinks. "I...where is Aleister? Is he safe?"

" _Rooooooooooourke_!" Estela roars furiously. She coils her right arm backwards to launch her spear at Rourke's head. Iris' drone races towards her, flashing a light in her face. Estela cries out, staggering. The spear arcs wide of Rourke and lodges in the wall, inches from his head. Rourke smiles mockingly.

"Oh, so close, Estela," he sneers. "You'll have another chance, I'm sure of it. Come along, Iris."

"Iris, no!" Sean cries.

The drone starts to hover towards Rourke, then stops. Her image projects out and turns to face me.

"I must go now, Alodia."

"No! Iris, you've got to fight back!"

"That course of action is logical, yes. However, I am afraid Directive 1908 cannot be overridden at this time."

The tall Watcher takes advantage of the distraction to hurl a bola at Rourke. Diego is jerked backwards at the weighted leather straps wrap around his captor's arm. In the commotion, the idol slips from his fingers. Rourke releases him to go after it, but I'm faster. I dive for it, tucking into a tight roll and evading Rourke with a microsecond to spare. I grin smugly at him from a crouch, hugging the idol tight to my chest. He narrows his eyes.

"You will regret that decision, child," he snarls.

I leap to my feet and pass the idol to Diego. He reaches to grab it from me. My world flashes white again...

 _I recognize this place. I am back at the La Huerta Observatory. The tall Watcher lies on a cold metal table, arms and legs secured with mechanical restraints. Diego stands at a workstation, frantically typing something._

 _"No! Why isn't this working?"_

 _"I'm sorry, Diego. I can't let you do that." Diego turns to see Iris projected behind him. "Defense sequence initiated. Those present are advised to vacate immediately."_

 _A series of panels slide open near the ceiling. Robotic arms connected to machine guns emerge from the walls._

 _"Iris, what are you doing?! I've got to get him out of here!"_

 _"Negative. This specimen will remain in custody for the duration of the procedure. Final warning. Those left behind will not be spared."_

 _"Iris, listen to me!" Diego cries. "I'm your friend. Are you just going to shoot me down like Aleister?"_

 _Iris is silent for a moment. "...Input is invalid," she says at last. "Aleister will be returned to life once the procedure is complete."_

 _"Deigo, go!" the Watcher shouts. "Your whole life is ahead of you! Go and live it!"_

 _"I tried that," Diego says softly. "Before. ...Life means nothing without people to care about."_

 _"Deploying weapons," Iris chimes._

 _The guns open fire. Diego and the Watcher spasm helplessly as the bullets rip through their flesh, leaving behind small, bloody holes. Lifeless, Diego slumps to the floor..._

Suddenly returned to the burning temple, I bite back the cry I couldn't utter in my vision. Rourke glares at me, firelight reflected in his furious gaze. I brace myself to fight, but he and Iris turn and flee into a haze of smoke that hangs in the temple's entrance. I rush after them.

"Alodia, no!" Sean grabs my arms, dragging me back as rubble and burning timber come crashing down in front of the entrance, trapping us in the inferno.

"There's no way out!" Estela cries.

But someone else followed us into the temple. Murphy plants his paws and exhales a cone of freezing mist towards the doorway, extinguishing enough of the flames that we can make our way out. Just as the last of us tumble out, the upper structure of the temple entirely fails, caving in on itself in a shower of smoke and orange cinders. As the dust and smoke clear, I can make out the rest of my friends, their hands bound, and Watchers leading them down the steps. There is no sign of either Rourke or Iris.

The old shaman spreads his arms, showing off the dog-headed idol and smiling widely. "Behold! Canis has brought us the idol and something even greater! The twelve have come to fulfill their destiny!"


	4. The Elyyshar's Judgment

The Watchers surround those of us who have just emerged from the burning temple, grabbing us to bind our hands in front of us, and shove us into the huddle with the rest of the group.

"Alodia!" Jake struggles to my side. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. You?"

"Not hurt." He takes my bound hands in his and presses his forehead to mine. "...Not liking how this is turning out, though."

"...Me neither," I confess. I glance over at Quinn. She still looks far too pale, but she's standing under her own power. "...Is Quinn okay, do you know?"

"Not sure. She can breathe better anyway. Let's just hope they let Michelle look after her wherever they're taking us."

The Watchers escort us back to their village, to a vast chamber within the massive central tree. A large crowd of blue and green bodies is gathered inside. Golden eyes watch us from behind gleaming masks. None of them speak.

"Silent treatment, huh?" Jake murmurs. "I guess I can handle that."

A throne of woven roots sits on a dias at one end of the chamber, watched over by massive faces carved into the wall like the Presidents at Mount Rushmore. An elderly female watcher sits on a throne, dressed in a flowing white robe, with a sheer veil like lace covering her face. Auburn hair falls past her waist, decorated with blue flowers.

As the tall Watcher enters the hall beside Diego, his jaw drops.

"What is this?" Diego asks. "What's happening?"

"...The Tribunal has assembled to judge your fate," he murmurs. "Three will speak for our tribe, and three for your group."

"Bring them forward!" the Watcher on the throne commands.

Aleister, Lila, and I are freed of our restraints and pushed towards the throne.

"Get your hands off her!" Jake snarls.

"Allie!"

"Hey, wait!" Craig yelps. "I'm goin' up there, too!"

The others strain towards us, but they're forcibly held back by a contingent of Watcher guards.

"Good luck, Alodia!" Quinn calls.

"Yeah, apparently we're all counting on you guys," Zahra says. "No pressure or anything..."

The shaman hobbles forward, stopping in front of me.

"Crystallized destiny, idol of hope," he chants in a low, resonant voice, bringing a hand to my forehead. I hold my breath and screw my eyes shut, bracing myself for whatever his touch brings. "Crystallized destiny, idol-"

In the distance, the sound of thunder cracks like a whip, and my eyes fly open. The shaman's eyes go wide. His hand trembles as he lowers it from my face. The shaman turns to the other Watchers.

"It is a proven truth! They are the Twelve Catalysts of legend!" A scatter of astonished murmurs rises from the crowd. I set my jaw, drawing myself up to my full height...which is admittedly rather unimpressive, but I hope I'm selling it.

"Correct!" I say. "Now kneel and offer us tribute!"

"Yeah!" Jake chimes in. "How about showing us a little respect?"

But my demand is met with blank stares. The shaman chuckles, the polite laughter of someone who has just heard a cringeworthy joke, but who doesn't want to hurt the teller's feelings.

"We respect your power, Catalyst, but we do not give worship. Does the apple admire the beast who comes along to devour it?" He chuckles again, more amused by his own joke.

"Hilarious," Aleister mutters. "Release us immediately!"

"What is going on here?" I demand. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Of course," the shaman says. "Forgive me. I am called Uqzhaal. Perhaps one of our oldest legends might shed a little light on your understanding. Long ago, our tribe was visited by one who moves unhindered among the branches of the Great Tree of Time. The Endless, as we call this one, foretold of twelve individuals whose arrival would herald Raan'losti, the unmaking of the world. Inspired by the visions of those who would come, our ancestors crafted the twelve idols of flawless amber. These vaalta pleased the Endless, and for many tranquil years they were kept in a temple deep in the forest.

"But peace is inevitably followed by strife. Conflict among our people saw the idols stolen and scattered across the island. The Endless consoled us, announcing that when the vaalta are finally reunited, the power to protect the island will be within reach. Clearly, you are the Twelve Catalysts, and Raan'losti is upon us!"

"...And...that's a good thing?" I ask hopefully.

"Some would say no. But I believe it is, for there is time yet to stop it."

The Watcher on the throne speaks up. "If this is true, Uqzhaal, then we must proceed carefully."

"...Since when can all of you speak English?"

She smiles placidly at me. "We learn quickly, young one. Catalysts, I am Ximaedra, Elyyshar of the Vaanti. I would know your purpose on this island."

 _Our purpose?_ I think bitterly. _We just thought we were coming for a good time. A vacation._ And yet, I already know we're long past that. That was never what we were really brought here for.

"...I...I think our purpose is to help save the world," I say slowly.

"Of course we'll help!" Lila agrees. "This is a can-do group, and one of the best I've ever had."

Ximeadra turns her golden eyes on Lila. "Uqzhaal, who is this? She wears the mark of the Hydra."

Lila blinks. "You...you mean the logo on my shirt?"

"Unexpected indeed," Uqzhaal agrees. "The Endless said nothing of another alongside the Twelve."

"So the Endless was wrong." A Vaanti woman in armor of leaves, leather, and bone, with the muscular body of a warrior and a battle-scarred face to match scowls down at us. "Perhaps about other matters as well."

"War Chief Seraxa," Ximaedra says, turning to the woman beside her. "What say you of the Catalysts?"

"The Twelve have brought great upheaval with them, yes. Not only did they reject their sacred journey, they've waged war upon our people at every opportunity! If we do not stop them here and now, Raan'losti will be our doom!" She pulls out a ceremonial knife, its obsidian blade glistening in the firelight. "As war chief of Elyys'tel, I declare the Catalysts blood enemies of the Vaanti!"

The crowd erupts into a chorus of piercing war cries. As the din crescendos, Seraxa cuts a gash in her arm and raises the bloodied knife above her head with wordless battle cry.

"Madness!" Uqzhaal protests.

"Such unnecessary theatrics," Aleister mutters beside me.

"On what grounds do you invoke this?" Ximaedra demands.

"They violently resisted Prince Varyyn's escort! They attacked the Shore Guardian and irresponsibly manipulated the crystals of Vaanu! Now they've burned the Valley of Tombs! Not to mention endangered the life of our _dear_ Keeper of the Old Faith." She sneers at Uqzhaal, but the old shaman shakes his head dismissively.

"Shore Guardian?" Lila murmurs. "I don't remember any guardian..."

"She speaks of the great crab," Uqzhaal explains. "One of the four mighty beasts who guard the island."

"For generations, we've known the appearance of the Catalysts signaled great destruction. Now we know _they_ are the destruction!" Seraxa shouts. "We have also been taught what we must do to save the island. The time has come. The Twelve must die."

She lowers the knife, glaring unblinkingly at us. Ximeadra nods solemnly.

"...I see. Putting our faith in the Catalysts is clearly a great risk. But you would have us extinguish that risk and face Raan'losti on our own." Her eyes find the tall Vaanti, standing amid the crowd. "And what do you think, Varyyn my son? Would you have us aid the Catalysts or sentence them to death?"

The tall Vaanti—Varyyn-looks up sharply, then quickly looks away. "I...It...is not my place to speak before the tribunal."

...Varyyn. I think I always knew that was his name. From the moment he touched me on the beach, letting me into his mind and gaining access to mine. An idea occurs to me. I close my eyes, seeking out his presence in my mind. I breathe deeply, blocking out everything except Varyyn.

 _I find myself atop a looming cliff, overlooking the Vaanti village._

 _"Varyyn," Ximeadra says gently in Vaanti. "Come. We are going to be late."_

 _Varynn turns to his mother, alarm in his eyes. "Mother, you should be resting! You've been ill for days!"_

 _"The village depends on me, my son. When Elyys'tel's troubles rest, so shall I."_

 _"That is what Grandfather said before he died..." His expression turns to anger. "Our people just stood and watched as he gave his life!"_

 _"Varyyn..."_

 _"Leave me be, Mother." He turns away sharply. Ximeadra sighs and departs, leaving him alone on the cliffside. Suddenly, Varyyn seems to notice my presence. He turns sharply. "You! What are you doing in my head, mind-talker?"_

 _"I didn't mean to intrude. But I need to ask for your help."_

 _He is quiet for a moment, perhaps taking the time to let the memory I am intruding on catch up with the present. "...With the Tribunal?"_

 _"Yes. I know we've had our differences, but do you think you could speak on our behalf?"_

 _"...Only my mother's advisors speak at court. And others who seek to manipulate her."_

 _"She seems interested in your opinion. ...Are you really gonna stand by while they sentence us to death? Sentence Diego?"_

 _That makes him stop. He swallows. "I...very well. If the judgment does not go in your favor, I will do as you ask."_

I open my eyes again in the audience hall. I meet Varyyn's eyes in the crowd, and he gives me a subtle nod.

"Uqzhaal," Ximeadra is saying, "did the Endless not speak of the Catalysts' capacity for salvation _and_ destruction?"

"This is true, my elyyshar."

"Then we may in fact be enemies after all. That is what we must determine here. Catalysts, do you strive for harmony or change?"

I consider the question carefully, looking around at each of my friends. Although harmony feels like the correct answer, something tells me it isn't _right._ It would be a lie. And something tells me they would quickly see through a lie.

"...It would seem clear to me that we are agents of change."

"So you admit it!" Seraxa bellows. "You are here to disrupt the balance of Vaanu!"

"Perhaps your people have resisted change until now, but you have to admit that the island itself is in a constant state of flux."

"Wisely spoken," Uqzhaal says approvingly. "Truly, they are the children of the stars in body and spirit both!"

"Claq shen zarvii!" Seraxa snaps. "This means little. Our predetermined duty remains before us."

Murmurs of dissent pass among the gathered Vaanti. Even with their faces hidden by masks, I can sense their distrust, their doubt, their fear. I sidle over to confer with Lila and Aleister.

"This isn't looking good for us," Lila murmurs, for once looking truly unhappy.

"What if I just told them this was all a misunderstanding?" I suggest uncertainly. "We didn't know about their values or laws..."

"Or maybe I can vouch for what good kids you are? We can show them we're really not all that bad!"

"They won't care about that," Aleister says with a snort. "I say we go on the offensive and push their own hypocrisy in their faces."

I consider for a long moment. Then I sigh. "I think Aleister's right. The fact that we didn't know anything about their values or laws isn't likely to sway them. And call me stupid, but I don't really want to try groveling. I don't think I could pull it off, anyway." I look at Aleister. "I'll leave it in your hands then. I trust you know what to say?"

His eyes flash. "I absolutely do."

I nod. "Let 'em have it."

Aleister saunters to the top of the audience hall's dias, looking every inch his father's son, confident, capable, and powerful.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and what have you...what we have here is a farcical excuse for justice!" He looks condescendingly around at the Vaanti with eyes that judge them and find them wanting. "I haven't seen such a poor appraisal of facts since Craig tried to convince me that Keanu Reeves was a vampire!"

"Have you looked at the dude?" Craig protests. "He hasn't aged a day in twenty years!"

"What foolishness is this?" Seraxa snaps, but she looks a little uncomfortable. "Get to the point!"

"In every encounter, it has been your people who've waged war on us, beginning with a certain 'follow or die' ultimatum on the beach. As for enemies of the island, Alodia and Estela discovered an amber arrowhead in the shell of the giant crab. Apparently, you call this creature the Shore Guardian? Judging by the resinous weaponry around me, it's obvious we weren't the only ones to have defended ourselves against that thing. Like you, we've sought to survive in an environment where all of nature seemed bent on killing us! But alas, it appears civilization is the most dangerous predator."

With that, he steps off the dias, leaving the crowd utterly silent. Diego catches my eye and grins, miming a mic drop. I smile back.

Ximeadra clears her throat. "Seeking answers for what came before is less urgent than preparing for what will yet be. Given all that I've heard today, I can't help but agree that the Catalysts represent a major threat to the island. Catalysts, if you have anything else to say on your behalf, please do so now. Otherwise, I will be forced to sentence you accordingly."

"These kids are just trying to get home!" Lila cries. "You can't punish them for that!"

"Such utter tripe!" Aleister snarls. "If this is the extent of your judicial system, your society is doomed with or without us!"

I should be more scared, with the lives of me and my friends in the balance, but I am too exhausted to be scared. I'm tired of being scared. I'm tired of having to be brave. I'm tired of having to be clever against an island that always seems to be one step ahead. I am tired of being a pawn. I have been on this island for six goddamn months, having experienced ten days of that time. Everything of fear or courage or cleverness is being quickly burned out of me. And what's left is boiling, bubbling anger. I wheel on Seraxa.

"The only person who really seems to have a problem with us is the cranky one that looks like a pin cushion!" I snap.

"Mind your tongue!" she barks back. "As war chief I speak in defense of all Vaanti, Catalyst."

"And you're such a model citizen? You really think you're so typical, you can speak for everyone else?!"

"Seraxa is most unusual," Uqzhaal confirms mildly. "She lives alone. Has many cats."

"That is of no importance here!" Seraxa replies indignantly.

"She also cares little for the Old Faith."

"One wonders how someone who shirks tribal custom is able to invoke it against us," Aleister remarks.

"Enough! You...question my faithfulness to my people? I fought and bled in the War of the Three Tribes! I was there when Quarr'tel burned!" Many of the Vaanti nod, murmuring in agreement. "The only thing I have no faith in is you! And I will not make the mistake of entrusting our future to oursiders, prophesied or otherwise!"

From somewhere in the crowd, a Vaanti calls out, "Death to the Catalysts!" Other voices rise to join the first, and suddenly the entire room is chanting as one, "Death! Death! Death!"

I look for Varyyn, my eyes pleading with him. He has already stepped forward, shouting to be heard.

"Mother! Members of the Tribunal! I would speak on the Catalysts' behalf!"

"Silence!" Ximeadra barks. "Let my son speak!"

The audience rapidly quiets. All eyes are on Varyyn now.

"The prince has never contributed his voice at court!" Uqzhaal murmurs.

"Varyyn," Seraxa growls, "you may be the elyyshar's son, but you're also a warrior under my command. Consider your next words _very carefully."_

Varyyn swallows. "I...I do not seek to sway the Tribunal's judgment. Instead, I would merely share the truth as I have witnessed it. I've had more dealings with the Twelve than any other who has testified today. While they are worthy opponents, they have also avoided battle whenever possible. On many occasions, I've observed them treating Vaanu and those who dwell here fairly and respectfully. Whether they herald Vaanu's destruction is yet uncertain. What makes it certain is if we deny them our help."

Ripples of discussion pass through the hall as the Vaanti react to the prince's testimony. Ximeadra is silent, considering the matter carefully. She rises from her throne.

"I have reached a decision regarding the charges against the Twelve Catalysts." She looks at us. "Catalysts, the threat you pose to the island and our way of life is unquestionable. However, I believe that the fate of the Vaanti may yet depend on you."

"You...you're letting us go?" Lila asks hopefully.

"No. For our safety and your own, I must order your immediate imprisonment on Sharktooth Isle."

"Imprisonment?!" I cry.

"It may be of little comfort, but at least you will be safe there while we seek to bring Raan'losti to a peaceful end."

"You have no right to imprison us!" Aleister cries. "As travelers, our right to safety and agency are protected by international law!"

"...This might be the best we could hope for," Lila says mournfully.

"Mercy?!" Seraxa snarls incredulously. "Mercy for the agents of our destruction?"

"You question my judgment, Seraxa?" Ximeadra asks calmly.

Seraxa knows the correct answer to that question. "...As you would have it, my elyyshar."

Uqzhaal sighs. "Ah, natala dril arkharu. Such a grievous day."

Guards begin to forcibly escort us out of the audience hall, once again placing bonds on me, Lila, and Aleister. Even Diego is bound again. I keep my head down as they lead us out, exhausted and heavy-hearted. A bit of pale blue directly beside me catches my eye.

I look down to see a male Vaanti child with pale, shaggy hair walking directly beside me. If I had to guess his age based on human children, I would put him at seven or eight.

"I'm not afraid of you," he says. He smiles when he says it, and it sounds more like a reassurance than a challenge. I smile weakly back.

"You're not? Well, that's good to hear..."

He waves after us as we're brought down a winding staircase. I stick out my tongue, rolling it into a hot-dog bun shape. He giggles and sticks his tongue out at me.

"Bye-bye! Come back soon!"

At the shore, our bonds are cut, and we're loaded into a Vaanti boat large enough for all of us. I sit quietly between Jake and Diego, clutching both their hands. Jake bends to kiss the top of my head. Varyyn and Uqzhaal join us in the boat, and the Vaanti on shore push us off. Everyone is quiet as we drift through the moonlit waters towards a distant inlet. Finally, Sean speaks up.

"Where are you taking us?"

"Sharktooth Isle," Uqzhaal says solemnly. "It is a place of exile. Those who set foot upon its shores will never return to Vaanu."

"And so we reap the folly of island justice," Aleister says bitterly.

"Allie, look at this!" Diego points to the water where a school of large, dark fish are visible swimming alongside the boat. Varyyn gently reaches out to pull Diego's arm back into the boat. Diego looks at him questioningly.

"They're fish," Zahra mutters. "It's not like they're gonna get offended."

"No," Varyyn says gently. "It's dangerous. Watch."

He pulls a long feather from his braided topknot and drops it off the side of the boat. In an instant, the fish are upon it, tearing the feather to shreds with razor-sharp teeth.

"Woooah, okay. My hand was almost a supporting cast member in a remake of _Piranha 3D..._ Thanks, Varyyn."

Varyyn smiles sadly. "Of course."

"The klaawyi eat anything that crosses these waters," Uqzhaal explains. "The wood of our boats is coated with a rare sap that they find poisonous, else this vessel would soon be torn apart."

"Of course there are wood-eating barracudas here," Jake sighs. "Why wouldn't there be?"

As the shaman turns to gaze out across the sea, I glimpse a strange tattoo on his back. Like a

mountain with a face jutting out of the side.

"What's the story with your back tat?" Zahra asks.

"A symbol of the Old Faith. It would be difficult to explain to you, Catalyst."

"Does it have to do with the Endless?" I ask. At that, the old shaman's eyes brighten. He begins to recite something in Vaanti, his voice reverent. In my head, I can hear the words translated. I'm not sure if that's through my connection to Varyyn, or if Uqzhaal himself has found a way into my mind.

"Twelve before the door, standing silent guard. At the base of the mountain, the One begins." He continues in spoken English. "It is the legend of the Threshold, a place I've etched into my skin."

"The Threshold...is a place? On the slope of the volcano?"

"It is indeed! But it no longer matters. Now that we may never see the prophecies of the Endless fulfilled..."

The shaman abruptly stands and hobbles towards Quinn. She blinks at him, confused.

"...Mm...no, no, not good," he murmurs. "I sense that a withering has taken root in you. If left untended it may soon claim your life."

"I don't...I don't know what you're talking about..." Quinn mumbles.

"...I think you do," Michelle says gently. "The way you collapsed in the rainforest earlier? Something's going on, Quinn."

Quinn swallows. "...Promise me you guys won't be...shocked...or sad..."

"Is it that bad?" Diego asks worriedly.

"I...have a condition called Rotterdam's Syndrome. It's an autoimmune disease. There's no cure."

I feel my heart freeze and sink into my belly. A heavy silence hangs over the group.

"...When were you diagnosed?" Michelle asks softly.

"When I was four. My parents tried everything. My dad spent the last of his savings on an experimental treatment, which actually made it go away...until a few weeks ago. ...Just before I left on this trip." She clutches her left hand in a vain attempt to keep it from trembling. She blinks and a few tears trickle down her cheeks. "...I'm going to die. In the next six months. Maybe sooner."

"Oh, Quinn..." Michelle draws her into a hug.

I press my lips together, trying for Quinn's sake not to look as shocked or sad as I feel.

"...You won't go through this alone," I say at last. "Whatever happens, we're going to be here for you. You can count on it."

She smiles. "...Thank you. I...needed to hear that. I just don't want to burden you with all this..."

Jake shakes his head. "It's a burden we all want. You're one of us, Red. We all got into this together, and we're getting out of it together."

"We would never turn our backs on you," Diego adds.

"...Thank you..."

About then, two Vaanti leap into the shallows and guide the boat ashore.

"We have arrived," Uqzhaal says sorrowfully. "This...is Sharktooth Isle."

One by one, we climb out of the boat onto the sandy shore.

"This is where you guys put prisoners?" Craig asks incredulously. "It totally looks like-"

"The final level of _Dino Melee!"_ Zahra finishes. "Graphics on ultra."

"Exac..." Craig catches himself, clearing his throat. "I mean...I was gonna say something else."

"...I am sorry, Diego," Varyyn says softly. "I must leave you here."

"It's not your fault." Diego shifts awkwardly, looking down at the sand. "Um...your English is getting really good, by the way. Keep working on it."

"Yes. I promise to do so."

They lock eyes as Varyyn grips Diego's shoulder in a sad farewell. Uqzhaal leans heavily on his staff and gazes down at us from the boat.

"It has truly been an honor, Catalysts. Perhaps one day, upon another branch of the Great Tree, we'll meet again. Stars guide you."

The Vaanti guide their ship back into the sea. I come up beside Diego to watch it drift into the distance.

"So...tell me. Are you and Varyyn an item?"

"What? Me and Varyyn?" He blushes. "I mean, he is easy on the eyes, but...please don't tell me you've gotten into Aladdin/Genie fanfiction again. Is that what you've been doing for three days?"

"...All I've been doing for three days is trying to get you back," I say softly.

"Aw, Allie..." He pulls me into a fierce hug. I cling to him, letting all the tension of the past three days come spilling out of me in a flood of tears. He holds me gently, rubbing my back. "I'm okay, Allie. We're all okay."

"...I was afraid I'd lost you," I whisper.

"Yeah, same," he admits. "I knew you wouldn't forget about me, but...after six months, it was really hard not to be scared that you weren't coming back. ...I was terrified that you'd gotten lost or hurt...or worse..."

"Nothing like that," Jake says, coming up beside us. "She has been crazy grumpy since you went missing."

Diego chuckles, but when he pulls back to look me in the eye, his expression is clouded with concern.

"Allie, sweetie, you look exhausted." He looks around at the rest of the group. "Frankly, you all do."

I wipe at my eyes. "...I don't think any of us has slept more than a few hours since...God, since before the marina..."

"Which was how long ago for you guys?!" Diego cries.

"Three...no...four days? Maybe five?"

Diego sighs. "...Goddammit, Allie..."

I dissolve into helpless, exhausted giggles. Jake puts his hands on my shoulders to steady me.

"We should probably find a place to set up camp. Get some real rest."

"Um...how about _there_?" Grace points to an imposing three-story manor house overlooking the shore. It has clearly been abandoned for some time, and it's walls are covered in vines, but it looks like sturdy and solid shelter.

"It's beautiful," Quinn breathes. "Or at least, it was..."

"What exactly is this place?" Michelle wonders.

"Looks like the set of a soap opera," Diego remarks. "Or maybe Jack Sparrow's hideout."

"I think it's our new home," Jake murmurs, his tone unreadable.

We make our way inside. Within thirty minutes, we're gathered in the manor's once-resplendent foyer, the ancient oil lanterns casting a soft, warm light. A small fire burns in a cleared area of the floor in the center of the foyer.

"Is this place for real?" Sean wonders, staring in awe at the intricate designs on the banisters of the ornamental staircases. "Who do you think lived here?"

"This is a jail cell built for a king, bro!" Craig says with a grin.

"It's Rourke who belongs here," Estela mutters. "Not us."

Aleister rises abruptly, wandering off to the corner of the room. Grace watches him, concerned.

"He looks really upset...Alodia, do you think we should talk to him?"

"...Maybe..."

We get up and wander over. "Aleister...? Alodia and I...we just wanted to see how you were doing..."

"I can't believe I trusted my father. After everything he's done. He's been playing us since before we even landed on La Huerta."

"I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now," I say softly.

In a sudden burst of rage, he picks up an old chair and hurls it against the wall. Grace jumps, squeaking.

"Bastard! The next time I see him, I'll-" He notices Grace trembling, looking at him with wide, frightened eyes. "Grace, I...I didn't mean to..."

"Aleister...this is exactly what your father wants. We're _all_ furious with him."

"Very," Grace agrees. "But Alodia's right. Based on his actions so far, he probably wants us emotional and out of control."

"Astute observation, Grace. I've... _we've_ been pawns in his game for long enough." Grace reaches over and rubs Aleister's back.

"We're here for you. Always."

"I can't imagine why. But thank you, Grace." When Grace clears her throat, he looks at me. "And you, Alodia."

"No problem. You guys were here for me when I needed you. I'm just happy to return the favor. ...Come on back to the fire now, okay?"

He comes back with us, sitting down beside Grace. Sean sighs.

"All right, crew, we need a new plan. There's gotta be some way off this isle, right? Diego? Did you ever hear any talk about this place?"

"You know, Varyyn once told me about something really unusual on this isle. It's called the Singing Cliffs. He says the Vaanti go there to hear the voice of La Huerta itself."

"Great," Jake says. "Maybe it'll have some ideas on how to outswim a straight full of bloodthirsty fish."

"You never know," Diego replies. "The Vaanti believe that the island speaks a unique message to each individual who visits the area."

"If the cliffs are half as pretty as their name, I'm in," Quinn says. "Maybe it'll even inspire me to do some painting."

"I could come with you," I offer. "If you'd like some company."

"I would love to have you along, Alodia."

"If I remember correctly, it's supposed to be just south of here through the trees."

"Stay within shouting distance, you two," Sean warns. "We don't know what else is on this isle..."

Quinn and I make our way southward through a forested region of the isle.

"This is exciting," Quinn says brightly. "For all of the dangers we've faced on La Huerta, there are just as many amazing sights to see..."

"You manage to find a bright side in almost anything. Do you feel more inspired to paint?"

"Absolutely. To be honest, even though I love painting, I have been able to in awhile. It's been hard to get my mind off everything. ...I came here hoping the island's beauty would shake me out of this slump."

"...Did it?"

"No...but you did."

"You flirt," I say with a grin. Then my smile slips. "...I know it must have been hard, telling everyone about your illness..."

"Actually, I'm really glad I did. It's like I finally put down this great big burden I've been dragging around since we got here. I...didn't mean to be so secretive. I just knew that as soon as I told anyone, my illness would define me. But you've shown me different, Alodia. You taught me that no one thing could ever define me."

I open my mouth to respond, but then an ethereal melody reaches my ears, carried on the wind.

... _Ennnnnnnnnnnnn..._

Quinn gasps. "Alodia! Do you hear that? I think it's coming from this way!"

She grabs my hand and pulls me along the path. Ahead, the trees finally give way to a stunning expanse of beach. Wind races ashore from the sea, creating harmonic tones as it passes through hollows in the eroded cliff face.

 _...Leeeeeeeeee..._

"It really is like voices singing," Quinn murmurs.

As the winds drone on, I try to make out specific words.

 _Ennnnnnnnnnnnnn...leeeeeeeeee..._

"It's pretty, but I don't know if it's actually saying anything," Quinn murmurs.

I don't answer. I close my eyes and let the winds speak to me.

 _Across the seeeeeeeeeeaaa...iiiiit comes...Crruuuuuuushing everything...in its path...to youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..._

I gasp, my eyes flying open. "Well that's...eerie..."

"What did it say to you?"

"Something's coming across the sea to reach me. Something dangerous."

"I think I heard the words, 'our destined union'."

"I guess we'll have to wait to find out what it means."

The bright moonlight shines into a cave in the cliff face. We make our way across the beach toward it.

"Oh, look!" Quinn kneels next to a cluster of tide pools beside the cave mouth. Each one contains a different color of wet, glistening clay. She carefully dabs her finger into a pool and proceeds to paint an orange streak across a flat section of rock. "These make pretty decent paints."

"I guessed it worked well enough for cavemen."

"Would you like me to paint something for you?"

"How about painting this beautiful seaside view?"

"Ohh, yes...Maybe looking out across the sea with the moonlight on the water."

"It could be your own 'Starry Night'."

"I don't know about that, but I'll give it a shot."

"Just don't cut off your ear."

Quinn giggles. Dipping her fingers in the clay, she creates several lines on the rock face,

"What subjects do you usually paint?"

"All kinds of things. People, animals...Sometimes I just start putting paint on the canvas and let it take me somewhere."

"You mean you start to envision a place?"

"Not always an actual place. Sometimes I end up painting...an emotional place. I think there are things you can say with a painting that can't otherwise be expressed. You can show someone how something really feels."

"I hadn't thought of it that way, before."

Quinn steps back from the rock wall, and I step up to observe her work. I gasp a little. The sea has been painted in soft, cloudy colors on the rock wall. Staring at it, I feel a lump rising in my throat.

"Wow...you're really good..."

"Really? You like it?"

"It seems kind of...sad...forlorn..."

"You can see that?"

"The sea is relinquishing its hold on the shore. It feels...final."

"Nothing lasts forever, right?" she says softly. I look over at her. The moonlight catches in her copper hair and reflects off her porcelean skin. I impulsively pull her into my arms, cradling her head against my shoulder. She holds me back.

"...I like being in your arms," she murmurs.

"...I like having you here," I reply. ...And I do. More than I like the idea of being naked in bed with her. A part of me still wants to kiss her, to fondle her breasts and the softness between her legs...but it seems that if given the choice between holding her and doing more, I would sooner choose just to hold her. To feel the way she fits in my arms, to stroke her soft red hair. I pull back, suddenly realizing how warm she feels in my arms.

"...Quinn?"

She turns a flushed face upward towards me. "Hmm...?"

I put a hand to her forehead. "...You feel warm..."

She sighs. "...Yes...Rotterdam's causes fevers..."

"We should get you back to the manor. We could both use a good night's sleep."

"I suppose you're right..."

By the time we reach the manor, Quinn is leaning heavily on me, breathing hard. Sweat runs down her face in rivers. Michelle and Sean immediately leap up to take her from me, easing her into a spot near the fire and covering her with whatever they can find to keep her warm. I start to go with them, but then I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see Jake.

"...They've got her, Princess. Come get some rest. I've claimed a nice soft spot for us."

I hesitate a moment, then I nod. Jake leads me into a corner and curls up with me. I lay my head on his chest. "...I'm scared, Jake," I confess. "...I don't want her to die..."

"Neither do I," he says softly. "...To be honest, I don't think I can accept it yet. ...This island is so crazy, why couldn't we find something to cure her here?"

"I hope you're right..."

He sighs and kisses the top of my head. "...But ain't nothing gonna get done if we're all too exhausted. You know, you're turning into quite the mama bear when it comes to this ragtag bunch of misfits."

"Am I?"

"Yeah. You're the mama grizzly, and we're all your cubs. Just be careful, or you'll develop a bigger hero complex than Sean."

I snort. Somehow, it turns into a yawn. "...Don't you worry about that...I...I'm gonna..."

"...Sleep?"

"Yeah..."

I close my eyes, and I am asleep within moments. I awake in the early daylight hours. Everyone around me seems to still be asleep. As I sit up, Jake grunts beside me, rolling over. I stand, careful not to wake him, and stretch experimentally. I wince. My head feels clearer after the night's rest, but my body is still aching. I need to have a proper stretch.

I wander out of the manor, exploring the grounds, and come across a felled tree. After warming myself up, I mount it like a beam. I take a deep breath, and move slow-motion through my favorite routine.

The log isn't high enough for me to safely do a real dismount, but I let myself back-walkover off it. That's when I realize I have an audience.

"You know when I first noticed you," Sean says, "you were doing something pretty similar on the bleachers by the football field."

"...I remember you mentioned that once." I blot bit of sweat off my brow with the sleeve of the camo gear I'm still wearing. Though the Vaanti took the three idols, they did allow me to keep the rest of my belongings. But I only brought a couple changes of clothing. "How did you sleep?"

"All things considered, okay. I guess at some point, exhaustion just gets louder than your racing thoughts."

"Got a lot on your mind?"

"...Too much." He sighs. "Things have gotten steadily worse since we arrived. I hate feeling so helpless. A part of me just feels like I should be able to do something...and if don't it's because I failed."

"You've been nothing but a source of strength for us all, Sean."

"Well...not nothing..."

"Okay, so you got off track a little once. It doesn't change the fact that this nightmare is not your fault."

He smiles wearily. "...Thanks. ...How are you holding up?"

"Now that I've got Diego back, I'm much better. ...I'm scared about Quinn, though."

"We all are. ...That's one thing that _really_ makes me feel helpless..."

"Yeah. Something none of us have the knowledge or skillset to really fight...the idea that all we can do is sit beside her and watch her die..." I shiver. "...I'm glad she trusted us enough to tell us, though."

"...Trust is a very fragile thing..." he murmurs. He goes quiet for a long time, staring into the jungle.

"...You okay there?"

"...Just...thinking about trust."

"In what way?" When he hesitates, I press him. "You can tell me."

"...I once trusted someone I cared deeply for..."

I swallow. I have a feeling I know who he's talking about. "...I take it that didn't end well..."

"I was the last to know," he says softly. "We'd been together for two years, and somehow everyone except me knew that she'd started seeing someone else. ...Her closest friends finally told me out of pity. When I confronted her, true to form, she made it a huge production. ...And then it was over."

I can't bear it any longer. "Sean, if this is about Michelle, there's something you should know."

He shakes his head. "I don't want to talk about her anymore. I don't know why I'm even thinking about her..."

"...Because she's trapped here with us?" I sigh, giving up. Maybe it isn't my secret to tell anyway. "...Whatever happened, I know you'd never do that to someone. You're probably the most caring person I know."

"I appreciate that." He pauses. "...I do trust you, Alodia."

"...I trust you, too, Sean."

"Alodia! Sean!" Lila comes jogging up to us, looking a bit frantic. "Come quick! I think Raj is about to do something foolish!"

Exchanging a glance with Sean, I hurry after Lila. Several of the others are also drawn out by the commotion. We run down to the beach to find Raj dangling precariously from the prow of an old shipwreck.

"Raj!" I yelp. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I see a barrel in the ship's hold! It's gotta be Caribbean rum!"

"Please come down!" Lila pleads. "You're going to get hurt!"

Sean and I move to the water's edge near the ship. Raj tries to swing closer to the deck. The desiccated wood of the prow groans in protest.

"There's something else...I see something else!"

"What is it?"

"I think it's one of those idol things! Alodia, if I come down and boost you up, do you think you could reach into the window of the ship?"

"...All right, let's give it a shot..."

"Sweet!"

Sean helps Raj down from the prow. Raj wanders ankle-deep into the water beside the hull of the ship and hoists my small form onto his shoulders. I wobble as his shoulders shift under me.

"Eaaasy..."

"Sorry! I'm ticklish!" He struggles not to laugh without much success. A swarm of dark shapes writhe in the deeper water, way too close to Raj's feet for my comfort.

"Oh, god! Please try to keep still!"

"I'm...trying...!"

I grasp the frame of the window in the ship's hull. Poking my head into the window, I can see the amber idol of a rearing centaur with a bow and arrow just inside. I reach for it.

"Got it!"

"Sweet! Let's get out of here!"

"No need to tell me twice!"

I dismount off his shoulders, landing gracefully on the shore. Raj splashes out of the water, and I turn to hand him the idol. His fingers brush the crystalline surface...

… _There's a party raging at a frat house on Hartfeld campus. Party lights pulse in time with the pounding dance music. Hartfeld students, exhausted after a week of classes and activities and heady with cheap beer, bump and grind with abandon. The front door opens and Raj comes barreling through._

 _"Guess who's off academic probaaaaaation!" he sings._

 _"That's my dude!" Craig cheers, coming to give him a high-five._

 _"Way to go!" Michelle says with a grin._

 _Sean claps him on the back. "Nice! Congrats, man! I knew you'd win the case."_

 _"Time for a celebratory keg stand!" Raj vaults onto a nearby keg and inverts himself. The whole party chants as Raj guzzles beer. He gets up and raises his fists in triumph. "I'm back dudes!"_

 _"So what ended up happening at the hearing?" Sean asks._

 _"Professor McCarty dropped the charges. He couldn't prove I cheated."_

 _Craig raises his hand for another high-five._

 _"Good job," Michelle says. "Seriously, I hate Professor McCarty. Screw him. ...How did you cheat without him catching you, anyway?"_

 _"What are you talking about? I didn't cheat..."_

 _"Dude, it's cool. They can't get you now. Double jeopardy."_

 _"...Not sure that applies to college ethics proceedings...Seriously though, I didn't cheat."_

 _"You, Raj Bhandarkar, the guy who accidentally burned down Pi Omega..."_

 _"...The guy who made a goat tackle Camden State's quarterback in a live game..."_

 _"...The guy who jumped off the library roof into the Meyer fountain..."_

 _"...You got 100% on the econ final, where the next highest score was a 73%?" Michelle finishes._

 _"Well...yeah!" Raj insists._

 _There is a moment of silence. Then everyone bursts out laughing._

 _"Dude, you are hilarious!" Sean cries._

 _"I love you, Raj," Michelle says. "Kinda pissed that you blew the curve, but I still love you."_

 _"You play it close to the vest," Craig says. "I feel ya. One day, I'm gonna find out how you did it, though."_

 _"Heh...yeah..." Raj mumbles. Then he forces a bright smile. "Who wants to see me do another keg stand?!"_

 _The crowd roars in approval, and then everything folds inward on itself as time rockets me forward._

 _… I'm in the kitchen of The Celestial. Raj stands behind the counter, slicing vegetables and dropping them into a pot of simmering water. He swallows hard, wiping tears from his eyes that might not have anything to do with the onions._

 _"Pies...make peace..." he mutters to himself, drawing in a shuddering breath._

 _Rourke saunters into the kitchen. There's something noticeably off about him. ...Perhaps it is the fact that he's totally naked._

 _"Splendid lunch, Raj. Truly outdid yourself." He picks his teeth with the jagged edge of a broken femur bone. "Who knew grilled sabertooth could be so incredibly savory?"_

 _"This kinda stuff wasn't in the job description, dude," Raj mumbles. "And you might wanna lay off the time crystals. They're turning you into a full-on Dr. Moreau head case."_

 _"Nonsense. Each time I get just a little bit closer to the one I seek."_

 _"You're never gonna find that red spacesuit person."_

 _Rourke snarls, but his attention is suddenly drawn to a small drone hovering into the room. "Ahh, Iris! Have you brought the special ingredient for this evening's dinner?"_

 _"As you requested, Mr. Rourke." A cable attached to the drone tows a wheeled cart to the center of the kitchen._

 _"Very good. Let's show our head chef what he'll be preparing!"_

 _Rourke reaches for a box on the cart, carefully prying open the lid. Inside, Murphy whimpers, quaking with fear. Raj reaches back to untie his apron and whips it off._

 _"No! You've pushed me too far this time!"_

 _"Oh come now. It's just one teeny, tiny, freezy, sneezy fox."_

 _"Murphy is my friend! You don't eat friends!" Rourke sighs irritably and turns away, but Raj isn't finished. "Besides, I've prepared something else for you tonight..."_

 _"Oh?"_

 _Raj twists the apron in his hands and wields it like a whip, striking a hanging rack. The rack swings free of one of its supports, and a pile of pans and heavy cookware suddenly tumbles onto Rourke. He cries out._

 _"Murphy, come on!"_

 _Raj and Murphy race out of the kitchen. Whatever consciousness I have follows them outside, where alarms are blaring across the courtyard._

 _"Hurry! He's coming!"_

 _Rourke, battered and bruised, shambles after them, hefting a harpoon gun._

 _"I have had enough of your insubordination, Head Chef Raj!" He gains on them, aiming his weapon. Murphy scampers ahead, then stops and looks back for Raj, whining._

 _"Just go! Run, little guy!" There is a loud blast as Rourke fires the harpoon gun. "Run for your li-" …_

I suck in a sharp breath as I find myself back in my own body on Sharktooth Isle. Raj passes the idol back to me.

"Why don't you hold onto this for now, Alodia? I'm gonna go get lunch started! Hope you're hungry!"

I blink at him. For a moment, I have an almost overwhelming urge to stop him. But I just smile weakly. "Yeah...I am pretty hungry..."

I turn to head back to the manor with the others.

"Uh, guys?" Diego says suddenly. "Someone's coming!"

I turn to look, shading my eyes against the glaring sunlight. I can just make out a small Vaanti sailboat racing over the water towards us.

"The Vaanti are coming back!" Michelle exclaims.

"What are they gonna do to us now?" Grace wonders fearfully.

"Uh...I don't think that's the Vaanti..." Craig says slowly.

As the ship races closer, I see he's right. A woman—a human woman—with ruddy skin grasps the mast of the sailboat. She wears old-fashioned breeches, knee-high leather boots, and a leather bodice over a billowy linen shirt. A bandolier over her chest holds a knife, and a wheellock pistol hangs at her waist. Under an elegant tricorn hat, a shoulder-length mane of dark hair dances in the breeze.

"...Someone want to explain why a woman who looks like Jack Sparrow's girlfriend is heading this way?" Diego asks.

As the outrigger skids up onto the shore, the pirate woman leaps off, landing gracefully on the sand. She looks us over, dark eyes glittering.

"It would appear the captain has sent out a welcoming party. _Tres, tres gentil,"_ she says in a thick accent. In one swift motion, she pulls out her pistol and aims it at me. "Take me to Malatesta!"


	5. Yvonne

Sean puts himself between me and the woman.

"Easy, easy!"

"Did you hear me? I said take me to Captain Malatesta before I begin firing! And believe me, _mes chers,_ I do not miss."

"You can't take all of us," I declare, hoping that I appear calmer than I feel. "Shoot any one of us, the rest of us will be on you before you can reload."

"Maybe I shoot you first, mouthy one," she growls at me.

"Look, lady," Jake says quickly, taking my arm, "I dunno what Black Pearl you just stepped off of, but we don't want any trouble."

That seems to give the woman pause. "... _Quoi?_ You...don't work for Malatesta?"

"We don't work for anyone," Sean says. "Mind putting the gun away?"

The woman looks towards the manorhouse. Her brow furrows in confusion.

" _Zut alors..._ What happened here?"

"If I had to guess," I say, "I'd say you've been gone for a long, long time."

" _C'est impossible!_ I've only been away for a fortnight!"

"Uh, welcome to La Huerta?" Zahra says uncertainly. "Time is kinda borked here."

She finally lowers her pistol. "...If you don't work for him, why are you on Sharktooth Isle?"

"We were exiled here by the Vaanti."

"Let me tell you," Lila says grumpily, "those hooligans just throw whoever they want out here, guilty or not!"

"Who is Malatesta anyway?" Quinn asks.

"Captain Malatesta runs this place. ...Or at least...he did. I was his first mate. Until he decided my sway on the rest of the crew was too much of a threat. He banished me to _la Mer,_ but as you can see, _la Mer,_ she guided me back. It takes more than _une petite planche_ to get rid of Yvonne the Incorrigible."

"...Whatever she just said was all French to me," Craig murmurs.

Aleister facepalms. "It _was_ French, you moron. 'A little plank'."

" _Oui, exactement."_ She blows a kiss to Aleister, who blushes a little. "A few hours after I stepped off that plank, I washed ashore beside the big tree. The people there were kind enough to let me borrow a boat."

"That doesn't sound like the Vaanti," Diego murmurs.

"No, but it does explain how she made it past the klaawyi," Michelle says.

"...'Klaawyi'?"

"Those barracudas in the water," I explain. "They're only repelled by a special sap the Vaanti put on their ships. It's why we're stuck here. Any chance you'd give us a ride over to the main island?"

"I could perhaps assist. In return for help with a concern of mine."

"Freakin' quest givers," Zahra groans.

"What exactly did you need help with?" Sean asks warily.

"Please say a high seas adventure," Diego says with a grin.

"Please say something quick and simple," Jake mutters.

"Please say, 'Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum'!" Raj begs.

"I need to reclaim a certain lockbox of mine from Malatesa. I left in full to the brim with precious booty."

Craig snorts. "Did she just say-"

"Shut it, scrublord," Zahra orders.

"It should still be hidden in the eastern wing of the manor," Yvonne continues, ignoring Craig. "Could use a few extra pairs of eyes to seek it out...and hands to bring it back."

"I doubt there's much treasure left in this place," Estela remarks.

Yvonne absently reaches into her bodice and tosses a small golden ball into the air, deftly catching it again and again. I find my eyes following it up and down, up and down.

"There is if you know where to look. A little scavanger hunt and then we all get away from this blasted isle together. _Tres raisonnable, non?"_

"Okay," I say. "But I want that ball, and a share of the loot."

"Now we're talkin'!" Craig says cheerfully.

"Rum!" Raj chants. "Rum! Bring me rum!"

"Woah, let's not get greedy, guys," Sean says nervously. "We've gotta focus on getting out of here."

Yvonne sizes me up. "Mmm...you ask a lot of me, _ma petite blonde."_ She clicks her tongue. Then she smiles. " _D'accord._ You have a deal."

With a flick of her wrist, she tosses me the golden ball. I catch it deftly. It's no larger than a golf ball.

"Is this real gold?"

"We have got more gold than iron around here," Yvonne says. "Melting it down for bullets adds a certain _je ne sais quoi_ to one's shots, _non_?"

"Yeah, heavy-metal poisoning," Diego mutters. Then he pauses, looking back at Yvonne. "Wait a minute. You just learned that you're stranded in the future, centuries after everyone you knew died, and all you want is treasure?"

Yvonne smirks. "Perhaps you are not familiar with pirates? _Allons, mes amis!"_

"Yeah, you too!" Raj says.

"Um," Grace murmurs. "I think she wants us to follow her."

"...Oh."

Yvonne leads everyone around the side of the manor to a wall thickly overgrown with vines.

" _Zut!_ This wasn't here before." She unsheathes a dagger and swipes at the clinging plants. "Sturdier than they look. Malatesta, you goat's uncle. If you hadn't taken Chouchou, I'd be able to clear these with ease."

"Chouchou?" I repeat.

"My cutlass. A blade of exceptional balance and keen edge." She makes two slicing motions. " _Chou!...Chou!"_

"Heh. Solid nickname," Jake allows.

"Sharp as the north wind, he was," Yvonne says wistfully. "Won him off the corpse of that spineless cur, Admiral Higgenbotham. But Malatesta stole Chouchou for himself when he threw me overboard."

"...Hey, Yvonne...everyone, wait here a moment." Before anyone can protest, I rush around into the manor, and find my backpack. Inside is the cutlass I found at The Celestial. I grab it and run back around to the others. "We found this on display at The Celestial. Is this what you're looking for?"

" _Mon dieu! Chouchou!"_

"I guess you can hold onto it for now."

" _Merci!"_ She takes the sword and jubilantly kisses me repeatedly on each cheek.

"How sweet of you, Alodia," Lila cooes.

I look over at Yvonne, stroking the sword lovingly. "Ah, Chouchou, _ma coeur."_ With a series of of well-placed slashes, Yvonne brings the entire bank of vines crashing down in front of everyone. She tosses the cutlass into the air, grabs the hilt, and tucks the blade into her belt. As the dust clears, an ornate door is revealed behind the overgrowth. "After you, _mes chers."_

She holds the door open for us and we file through. As Jake enters, she grins and swats him on the backside with the flat of her blade.

"Hey now!" he yelps. "Easy on the merchandise!"

I scowl at her, stepping up close behind Jake. She smirks down at me.

"Oh, I see. I'm afraid jealousy does not become you, cherie."

The darkness inside overwhelms me for a moment. I blink, waiting for my eyes to adjust. There are footsteps, and then a sound that I hope is flint against steel. Then Yvonne's face appears in the light of a candelabra, which provides the area with a small amount of illumination. It's...a parlor of some sort, covered in dust and cobwebs, with its furniture decaying.

"...I've got a bad feeling about this, guys," Raj says nervously.

"You do?"

"...The pineapple I had for breakfast, I mean. ...I think it wants out."

Yvonne ignores him. "Malatesta originally built these rooms for his mistress. When the Black Death took her life, this wing was walled off and became a place for safekeeping our most valuable treasures."

"Are you kidding me?!" Michelle shrieks. "People died of bubonic plague in here? I am _so_ out!"

"Tut tut, _cherie,_ " Yvonne scolds. "This was many years ago, even for me. It is safe. Well, except for the traps. Watch your step, eh?"

"Now you're telling us?" Diego mutters indignantly.

"If this place is dangerous, maybe some of us should wait outside," Sean suggests.

"Might be a good idea," Diego agrees. Raj and Michelle immediately slip out. I pat Diego's shoulder.

"You go, too, okay? I just got you back, I'm not risking you unnecessarily."

"As you say, boss," he agrees, clearly eager to get out. "...But what about you?"

"I made this deal. I have to see it through."

"...Goddammit, Allie," he sighs. But he goes to join Raj and Michelle.

There is a skeleton on the floor with a metal rod protruding from its ribcage. Yvonne kneels to examine it. "If anyone else feels too lily-livered, now's your chance."

"Bring it on!" Craig says defiantly. "I ain't scared!" He throws up his hands as if daring the room to do its worst, and knocks over a cobweb-covered urn. From somewhere nearby, I hear a series of clicks.

"Look out!" Yvonne cries.

There is a vertical line of darts shooting out of the wall towards me. I drop into a crouch and roll out of the way, finding myself eye-to-eye with Jake, who's clearly had the same idea.

"To the side!" he yelps. Without questioning, I do as he tells me, somersaulting out of the way. "Nice moves, Princess!"

But Aleister has not been quite so quick. He staggers, pulling a dart out of his arm. Grace moves to brace him.

"Aleister!"

"...It's a sedative," he slurs. He stumbles towards a decaying divan, collapsing onto it.. "I...have to lie down..."

"This ain't naptime, Malfoy!"

"Of course it is," Aleister mumbles. "Eleven bells was always nap time. 'Sweep the floors and tidy faces, it's time to take our daily graces'."

"I...think I'd better get him out of here," Lila murmurs. Lila lifts Aleister off the couch with startling ease and carries him toward the door.

"...The hell?" Craig murmurs. "He's twice her size!"

"Please be careful in here, everyone," Lila says as she exists with Aleister. Yvonne stalks toward a curtained doorway.

"Ah! I think I see my lockbox!" We follow her into a well-appointed bedroom, where a lacquered coffer rests atop a canopied bed. Yvonne sighs, clicking her tongue. " _Quel dommage._ It is not the right one."

She squints a the lid of the coffer and yanks out a folded piece of parchment from the keyhole.

"What's that?" I ask.

"...A letter from Malatesta?" She frowns as she reads. " 'Yvonne, I knew you'd claw your way back from hell, you traitorous' ... _Ahem._ Flowery language. Very flowery. 'I hope you waste away in here with only the memory of your greedy, filthy' … boring, boring... 'You'll never find it. With spite, Mal.'"

"...So, you two were close," Jake deadpans.

Yvonne grits her teeth, ripping the page to shreds. "Malatesta, you corpulent bilge rat! You're wrong! I know exactly where you put it!" She turns to us. " _Mes amis,_ asLa Mer is my witness, you have my word that we'll all be eating salmagundi in Bridgetown after we search one last location."

She tosses aside the coffer, and it lands at Quinn's feet. A lid pops open a crack and becomes stuck. An object inside catches the light. I suck in my breath. ...The object looks like amber.

"Quinn! It's one of those idols!"

"Do you think you can get it out?"

I take a brass candlestick holder from the fireplace mantel and wedge it under the lockbox's lid. Quinn braces the box as I pry the lid open. The hinge cracks and the box springs open, revealing an amber idol in the shape of a mermaid.

"It's...beautiful," Quinn breathes.

We reach for it at the same moment. As our fingers graze it, I again feel myself dropped through time as the manor dissolves.

 _… I am back at Hartfeld, at the park. The night air is warm, smelling of early summer. Moonlight reflects off the water in the fountain. Quinn sits alone on the fountain's edge. She leans forward, her phone cradled to her ear, her free hand covering her face._

 _"Yes, Mom, I just...Mom, I don't want to do this behind Dad's back..." Tears begin to trickle down her cheeks as she listens to the voice on the other end. After a moment, she puts the phone down without hanging up and buries her face in both hands, weeping bitterly. Grace approaches beside her and lays a hand on her shoulder._

 _"Hi...I...don't mean to bother you, but...are you okay?"_

 _Quinn forces herself to smile brightly. "Oh, of course! I'm great, really. Thanks for asking."_

 _Grace is quiet for a moment. "...I've been there, too, you know. I know how intimidating and lonely college can be. But you don't have to pretend to be okay all the time."_

 _Quinn looks down at her still-connected phone, her mother's lecture continuing unabated. The phone buzzes a text alert, the ID reading 'Dad': 'Call me. Got an idea. Don't tell your mother. She'll just get in the way again'."_

 _"It's my parents," Quinn says abruptly. "They're always passive-aggressively fighting with each other, but they do it through me. Like I'm just a pawn in their game."_

 _Grace sits down beside her. "A pawn, huh? Well, I play a lot of chess. If you're a pawn, all you gotta do is keep fighting. And when you finally make it to the other side, you'll be the queen you always carried inside you."_

 _Quinn giggles, wiping at her wet eyes. "...I'm Quinn, by the way."_

 _"Grace. Nice to meet you, Quinn."_

 _"You too, Grace. ...I'll see you around?"_

 _"I sure hope so."_

 _Grace picks up her bag and walks off, looking back to wave and smile. Quinn waves back. She turns to gaze at her reflection in the moonlit pond. Her phone is still buzzing with texts, her mother's voice tinny through the speaker. Abruptly, she drops the phone in the fountain, watching its screen until it flickers and dies._

 _The scene melts away. I feel myself hurled forward, until I reach the high branches of the Vaanti village. Quinn sits on a bridge, her legs dangling over the edge, gazing dreamily at the endless expanse of ocean stretching past the horizon._

 _"Hey, Quinn." My own voice startles me. I realize that I am approaching her, in my own body, but somehow not in control of it. As if I'm in a dream that hasn't yet turned lucid. I am dressed in a strange costume, a breast band and skirt of leaves. There are flowers woven into my hair. My legs carry me forward until I'm seated beside Quinn on the bridge. She turns to look at me and smiles._

 _"Oh...I'm glad it's you."_

 _"We did it, Quinn. We saved the day. Can you believe it?"_

 _"As a matter of fact, I can."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Yeah. Because of you, Alodia. More than this place, more than everything that's happened to us...it's you that makes me believe in the impossible."_

 _"Good. Because we've still got a long road ahead if we're ever going to get out of here."_

 _"Not me," she says softly._

 _"Hmm? What do you mean?"_

 _She lets her head drop onto my shoulder. I wind my arms around her._

 _"Everyone fights so hard to have some say in their own life...to have some control over themselves...but in the end, all we really have control over is whether we appreciated what we had."_

 _I let my cheek rest on the top of her head. "So, do you appreciate it?"_

 _"I...haven't always...but...I do...now..." Although she tries to disguise it, I can hear that her breathing is becoming more labored._

 _"Hey...you okay? Are you tired?" I feel her growing heavier in my arms._

 _"When...you finally make it...to the other side..." she whispers, "You'll...be...the...queen...you always...carried...inside..."_

 _She slumps in my arms, exhaling. I shake her gently._

 _"Hey. Wake up. ...Quinn?" There is no response. My voice rises a little, growing more urgent. "...Quinn. ...Quinn, wake up. Quinn, you gotta wake up! Quinn..."_

… I blink away the vision, back in the manorhouse. Tears cloud my eyes. 

"Alodia...? Are you crying? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Quinn, I just...I'm really glad you're here with me right now."

She smiles, reaching out to brush a tear from my cheek. "Right back at you." She stands, turning to explore the room a little further.

"Be cautious on your way out of here, _mes amis,"_ Yvonne warns. "Mind every ste-"

She is cut off by a click beneath someone's foot.

"What was that?" Grace asks nervously.

"...Oops," Craig replies. "...Again."

"Dammit, Craig!" Zahra groans.

Thick, choking smoke begins to rise through slats in the floor.

"Don't breathe that, _mes amis!_ "

The cloud emerges through the doorway, causing the tattered curtain to billow outward.

"Everyone out of here!" Jake yells, his voice strained. We run for the door, but our path is suddenly blocked by a grate of iron bars.

"Shit, this room means business!"

"Sean! Craig!" I cry. "Help me push down these shelves!"

"On it!" Together, the three of us topple the large bookcase onto the slats on the floor, effectively covering them. Murphy runs along the edge of the bookcase, sealing it to the floor with ice.

" _Tres bon!_ You've bought us some time, at least." Yvonne chokes on the lingering clouds, coughing.

"Yvonne, this is where you tell us about another way out!" I cry. The smoke burns like cinders in my lungs.

"All the other doors were walled off..." she chokes.

"Well, that's just peachy, Buccaneer Barbie!" I can make out Jake's voice, but I can't see him through the thick cloud.

"Either we get ourselves out, or the smoke!" Sean shouts. "Think fast, people!"

"Out of the way!" I hear Estela growl. "I'm going to ram the door!"

"I'll try to climb up to the window!" Craig calls.

"I think that cannon in the corner is still functional!" Grace cries.

"Could we use it as a battering ram?"

"No, but there's still a cannonball in there! We can blow our way out!"

"Estela, get away from the door!"

I make my way through the smoke to Grace, who has pulled a book of matches out of her pocket.

"Aim it at the wall, Alodia!"

I brace myself against the cannon, fighting the pain in my lungs and the fog slowly engulfing my brain, and throw all my weight into shoving it into position.

"That's it! Everyone cover your ears!"

There is a sound like a snake hissing, then a deafening explosion. Even with my hands over my ears, it feels like being bashed between two frying pans. A shower of plaster and bricks bursts from a gaping hole in the wall. We all tumble out into fresh air, clouds of dark smoke billowing out behind us.

"Now that's an exit!" I hear Raj say as we collapse onto the grass, gasping for breath.

"Allie!" I feel Diego kneel beside me, his hand on my back. "Holy shit, are you guys okay?!"

I can't answer right away. My whole body spasms as I cough until my throat feels raw. When I'm breathing a little easier, Diego helps me sit up, holding a canteen to my lips. I drink gratefully. Jake crawls over to me, still pretty breathless himself, and puts a trembling hand on my shoulder. I pass him the canteen.

"We're all okay..." I finally gasp. "Thanks to Grace..."

"Such an industrious girl," Yvonne agrees.

Grace smiles weakly, blushing a little. "Well, I couldn't have done it without Alodia's help."

"Great work, both of you."

"All I did was shove," I say. "Grace was still the brains."

Nearby, Craig and Zahra are furtively looking over at each other.

"...Stop staring," Zahra mutters.

"I'm not staring," Craig protests, "you're staring!"

I look up at Yvonne, who is already back on her feet. "Where are we headed now?"

" _La Grotte a Bijoux!_ The Jeweled Cave." She launches into a run toward the front entrance of the manor.

"...The foyer?" Diego asks, blinking. "Why is she going there?"

"Why are we following a pirate around?" Jake asks wearily. "What's the meaning of life? Petey, we could sit around here and ask questions all day and be none the wiser."

"Your boyfriend's a cheeky one, Allie. You should keep him."

"For once, I agree with Jake," Sean sighs. "Let's just get this done."

We trudge back to the foyer to find Yvonne digging through an old wardrobe. Nearby, Grace is already tending on Aleister, who's sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.

"Try to take is easy for awhile, okay?"

"What I wouldn't give for a cup of chamomile with lemon," he mutters. "Mrs. Findleridge would always make me tea and a cucumber sandwich when I was...when I was..." A dreamy smile crosses his face, and he leans his head back.

"Shhh. Just rest."

"Aleister's totally tripping," Craig remarks with a bemused smile. "Whatever was on those darts must've really got to him."

Michelle looks him over quickly, checking his pulse and pupils. "He's a bit delirious right now, but I think it'll wear off in a bit. No sign he's in any real danger."

Across the foyer, Yvonne kicks at a stack of old paper. They whirl lazily about the room. "Of course the map isn't here," she growls. "That would be too easy!"

"...What about the map on the wall?" Diego suggests.

"Non. That is La Huerta. I need the Sharktooth map." She sighs, straightening her hat, and walks over to me. "It seems I'll need to scout around for the cave's entrance. I know it is somewhere along the shore. But where?"

"I think I saw some caves when we were checking out the island last night," Raj offers.

"C'est vrai? Show me, mon petit mangouste!"

Everyone follows Yvonne outside, save for Grace and Aleister. I look back at them.

"Are you two gonna be okay in here?" I ask. Aleister abruptly leaps to his feet.

"Ah!" he breathes. "Do you hear that?"

"Uh...no...?"

"Street buskers, just like every Sunday in Russell Square! An oboe...and an accordian!" He begins swaying to whatever music is playing in his head.

"Aleister, I think you're-" Grace is cut off as Aleister suddenly grabs her around the waist with one arm, bringing his other arm up with hers, holding her in a waltz position.

"Dance with me."

"W-what?" she stammers. I clap my hands over my mouth, struggling to smother the giggles bubbling up in my chest as Aleister pulls her along in a waltz. "But...I don't know how to..."

"It's all right. I'll lead! One-two-three, one-two-three...good!"

Grace looks over at me, her eyes wide with astonishment. "I...I think I'm waltzing!"

I start humming the Blue Danube Waltz. ...Or something relatively close, I think. I'm pretty tone deaf. But I don't think either of them notice.

"I've had this dream before," Aleister says softly. "Now that it's real, I...oof!" He catches his foot on the broken leg of a chair and stumbles.

"Oh, careful!" Grace helps ease him down onto a bed of grass.

"Apologies. I'm clearly a bit out of sorts."

"You just need to rest." Grace kneels beside him, brushing his pale hair off his forehead. "You know, I've never seen this side of you. I didn't know you could dance like that."

"I suppose there are many things I keep hidden." His hand moves to rest on her arm. "Do you remember the professor we had for Probability and Statistics?"

"Professor Vesker."

Aleister points up at an old portrait peeking out from behind a thin curtain of vines, depicting a scowling nobleman in a frumpy hat. Grace snorts with laughter.

"Spitting image, don't you think?" Aleister says with a grin. "I'm not proud to say it, but I received a B-minus in that course."

"I didn't know that."

"Daydreaming too much...hoping you might look my way."

"Aleister..."

Aleister swallows hard, slowly raising himself towards Grace. His lips touch hers, gently at first, then more deeply. Grace takes his face in her hands. I take that as my cue to slip out quietly and catch up with the rest of the group at the mouth of a cave, half-submerged along the shore. Jake and Diego both look at me curiously as I approach.

"Where were you, Princess?"

"Oh, just helping Grace settle Aleister down."

"I would think Grace's presence would have the opposite effect on him. Hey!" Diego yelps indignantly as I lightly punch his shoulder. Jake snickers.

"So...is this the place?"

"Possibly. But the path inside is totally blocked by rubble."

"My treasure _is_ in this cave," Yvonne insists. "If I could spit in Malatesta's pox-blighted face right now..."

Murphy leans his head down to look in the water. With a sudden yelp, he leaps back.

"What's the matter, fella? Whaddya see down there?"

"There's a light down there!" Lila exclaims. I come over to have a look. Glints of rainbow-colored light appear in the depths, seeming to come from somewhere within the cave.

"What is it?" Raj asks.

"The Jeweled Cave takes its name from thousands of luminous crystals growing along its walls. It has been many years, but I recall it being truly magnifique."

"Sounds like a hell of a show," Jake remarks. "Too bad the entrance caved in."

"But there must be an opening if we can see the light through the water," Estela points out.

Jake picks up a piece of driftwood and gingerly dips it in. He pulls it out again, wet but otherwise unaltered.

"Guess there are no klaa-whatevers. Should be safe enough to swim." He slips off his jacket and shoes. "Anyone wanna come with?"

"Sure, I'll go," I say.

He grins at me. "Of course you will. Didn't doubt it for a second."

"We don't know how long the underwater passage might be," Yvonne points out. "Could be a very long time without air."

"My record in the Navy was nine minutes. Pretty sure I can still get close to that."

Yvonne raises an eyebrow. "Nine, ami? Just enough time for some do-good admiral to reload and aim for your head when it pops back up. I can hold it for twelve minutes, which is-"

"Fourteen," Estela interrupts.

"Eh?"

"I can hold my breath for fourteen minutes," she says flatly. "You both lose."

"I bow to all three of you," I say. "I don't think I can match any of you."

"Perhaps you should stay behind, Alodia," Yvonne drawls. "It's too dangerous for someone of your...delicate constitution."

"Maybe I ought to leave it to the Guiness World Record crew," I admit.

"Maybe not," Lila says. "I actually have something for this. I thought it might come in handy, so I grabbed it before we left The Celestial."

She digs into her backpack and pulls out an abbreviated wetsuit and a small scuba tank. My jaw drops.

"Jesus, Lila! Way to put the Girl Scouts to shame with your preparedness!"

"Well, Princess, guess you can follow me down there after all. ...And I wouldn't say no to the chance to see you in something skintight."

I make a small show of stripping off the camo gear and pulling on the wetsuit...though for the sake of the others, I duck behind a rock before I strip off my underclothes. Still, Diego rolls his eyes at me when I emerge, and comes to help me with the mask. The tank is small and lightweight, and rests easily on my back.

"You should have about an hour's worth of oxygen in there," Lila says.

"An hour!" Yvonne exclaims. "I do not know what sort of magic you were working with this contraption, but I dare not test it. You may go."

"Wasn't like I asked your permission," I mutter before slipping in the mouthpiece. Jake strips down to his shorts and takes my hand.

"Hold onto me and don't let go."

Together, we dive and start to swim downward. It takes me a moment to get used to the sensation of breathing easily with water surrounding me, but holding Jake's hand helps to keep me steady. At one side of the submerged rubble, we find a gap allowing entrance to the cave. We continue through the tunnel, rainbow-colored lights flickering around us. After a couple of minutes, the tunnel widens. The water becomes noticeably warmer, and we push towards a new surface. Jake draws in a deep breath as we break the surface. I take out my mouthpiece, taking in the kaleidoscope display of shimmering, colorful crystals in the glittering cavern before us.

"Oh, wow..."

"You ain't kidding."

There is a small island a short distance away, and there's a chest sitting there. Our feet find solid ground, and I take the mask off as we wade over to the island. I feel a jet of warm bubbles against my leg.

"This place is a giant jacuzzi!" Jake remarks. "What kind of Niagra Falls honeymoon suite did we just swim into?"

I let myself sink in up to my shoulders, enjoying the warm streams for a moment. Jake follows my lead.

"Must be a natural hot spring. It feels amazing!"

"No argument here," he agrees. Water drips from the ends of his hair onto his lean, muscular shoulders, glistening in the light of the crystals. He grins. "You just gonna stare at me all day? Not that I'm complaining."

"Mmmm...no." I swim over and press my mouth to his in a quick kiss.

"Hello there!"

"...Hey."

"Got any more where that came from?"

"I might." His arms slide around my torso in the warm water. There's barely time to inhale again before my lips are drawn to his again. We melt together in a long, rapturous kiss, my tongue tracing along the inside of his mouth, feeling the crevices of his teeth. We separate at last, looking into each others' eyes.

"We should probably check out that treasure chest..."

"...If you insist."

We head towards the island. Examining the chest, we find the lid held in place by a lock.

"Hmmph. Figures."

Jake swims to a deeper part of the lake. Waves of reflected light dance across the bottom in myriad colors.

"It's beautiful over here. Come check it out with me."

"You bet."

I dive down with him and we come together in the depths. I sink into his arms, running my hands over his taut body. His sandy hair swirls languidly around his face as his fingers trail up my bare thighs to slip under the inguinal band of my abbreviated wetsuit. I wrap my legs around his waist, pressing my hips close. The two of us drift towards the surface. A good thing too, because his hand is moving against my pubis and I can't help gasping. He smiles.

"You like that?"

I moan rapturously in response. He lifts me into his arms, carrying me to a rocky shore at one side of the lake. I unzip the wetsuit and let him peel it back. We're both nearly bare as it is, and it doesn't take long for us to shed the rest of our clothes. Jake's mouth roams over my breasts and down my torso, towards my hips. I feel his mouth moving between my legs, and my back arches. My fingers bury themselves in his hair. He moves faster, harder, until can't help crying out. He rises to kiss me, and we sink into each other again.

Ten minutes later, we're lying on our backs on the rocks, breathless.

"...Every time," Jake murmurs. "Fireworks. How do you do that, anyway?"

I find his hand and twine my fingers with his. "I don't think it's me. It's us."

Sunlight winks above me, shining in for just a moment from a small crack high up in the cavern wall. Jake sits up.

"...You seein' what I'm seein'?"

"Sunlight! Maybe there's a way for the others to get in!"

"Heh...almost forgot all about the rest of the Odd Squad. ...We might want to get our clothes back on."

We fish our clothes out of the water and ring them out before getting dressed. With the crystals as grips, we climb the wall until we reach the fracture.

"The wall's crumbling here. I think if I..." With a push, I manage to open a small pathway. Poking my head out, I spot the others waiting below. Jake pokes out beside me.

"How y'all doin' down there?"

"Woah!" Craig exclaims. "Guys, I see Jake and Alodia!"

"Amis! Thank la Mer! I thought you'd crawled into Davy Jones' locker!"

"Is that what you crazy kids are calling it these days?" Diego calls, grinning.

"Shut up, Diego!" I yell back. "Come on in! You guys will want to see this!"

The group makes their way up to the crevice and enters the cave. Raj gasps, marveling at the glimmering crystals.

"Daaaaaaaaamn, son!"

Yvonne swims out and immediately begins working to pick the chest's lock.

"Wait, you don't have a key?" Diego asks. "I thought it was your lockbox."

Yvonne grunts, unable to spring it open. "I lost it. But I do have this." She pulls out her pistol and shoots a hole in the chest's locking mechanism. " _Et la!"_

She pries open the lid. Gold coins and jewels fly across the tiny island as Yvonne digs impatiently through the chest.

Craig laughs. "Wooo! Make it rain!"

"Hey, that's good stuff!" Zahra protests. "Grab it, Craig!"

The two of them scramble to collect the scattered pieces of treasure. I keep one eye on Yvonne. She palms something that looks like a compass and slips it into her bodice. Then she throws up her arms and sits down in a melodramatic show of defeat. "Malatesta, you thrice-damned bootlicker! It's not here!"

"Then what was that you just tucked into your bodice?"

"...Pardonez-moi?" she asks, innocently batting her eyes at me. "My English is not always so good..."

"Come on. Out with it."

She reluctantly pulls out the compass. I snatch it up to examine, but she quickly snatches it back. "I merely take my old compass in order to navigate my way to safer shores. The rest of the booty I leave most graciously to you."

"Yeah. Sure."

"In any case, a deal's a deal. Let's be rid of this place."

She gets up and wades over to the hidden entrance, the rest of us following. A bracing wind hits us as we emerge. I glance up at the sky, and see that the clouds on the horizon are bruised on their bellies.

"We can make use of this wind, mes amis. To the boat!"

"You sure?" Jake murmurs. "I don't like the look of that sky..."

"Bah, that storm is miles away. Come!"

"Hang on, I'll just get Grace and Aleister!"

I rush back up to the manorhouse to get the last of our group...and to collect my bag with the two idols tucked inside. Aleister seems to be mostly back in his right mind, if a bit tired yet. We hurry to catch up with the others, and we all climb aboard the outrigger. Yvonne and Jake guide the craft into the water. Craig leers over the edge at the cluster of writhing fish.

"Hey, klaawyi! You feeling hungry down there? Too bad!"

The wind carries us swiftly across the water, and the waves get larger. In the distance, I watch the Vaanti village pass by.

"Elyys'tel," Diego murmurs. "You know...despite being a prisoner, they almost made me feel at home there..."

"You sound like you miss it," I remark.

"...Nah. Well, maybe a little. Not as much as I missed you, though."

The sky above us is darkening rapidly, the clouds black and pregnant with rain. Within a few minutes, it's almost as dark as night. Thunder crackles overhead as rain begins to rustle against the boat's sail. The hair on my arms stands up.

"There's a really strong charge in the air," Grace murmurs.

"I told you," Jake hisses to Yvonne. "Learned on my first day here, you can't trust the skies. Storms come in insanely quick."

As the storm builds rapidly, I catch notice a shadow in the water's depths. Quinn cries out.

"By the Devil himself!" Yvonne gasps. "What...is...that?!"

"...Cetus..." I whisper. I turn to the others. "Cetus! He's come back for us!"

 _For us?_ A voice in my head asks. _Or for you, Andromeda?_

But the massive, serpentine form is moving swiftly toward the large tree at the other side of the cave. Diego grabs my arm.

"Allie! He's heading for the village!"


	6. The Battle for Elyys'tel

Pain lances through my skull and forces me to my knees. I cry out, clutching my head, trying to quell the violent pounding that feels like a jackhammer inside my brain. The pounding drowns out the voices of concern around me, though I can almost feel a hand on my back.

The Vaanti village is swimming before my eyes. I watch the Vaanti scramble for safety as the water far below begins to stir. Uqzhaal stares at the bubbling waves in horror.

"It cannot be..."

But Cetus breaches the surface with a piercing shriek, looming upon the village, nearly dwarfing the great tree at the center.

"The Sea Guardian!" Seraxa cries. "But why is he here?!"

Uqzhaal stares in helpless confusion as lightning starts to crackle between the creature's sword-like teeth. Vaanti scream and dive for cover as lightning tears through the city, sending wooden shrapnel flying in all directions. A Vaanti child screams in terror.

"Uqzhaal! Get to the top! You must get to the elyyshar!"

"What will you do, Seraxa?!"

"Hold out for as long as we can! Go!"

Uqzhaal hobbles through the stream of fleeing Vaanti. As he makes his way through the village, he closes his eyes.

 _Please...Catalyst...if you can hear me...if you are truly destined to save our people... please... answer this prayer..._

In a flash, I'm back on the outrigger, slumped in Diego's arms with Jake kneeling beside me, clutching my hand. Murphy whines nearby me. Everyone is watching the horrifying sight unfolding before us.

"He's like a slasher movie villain!" Diego cries in disbelief. "You guys blew him to hell, but he's back!"

"Looks like he wants more!" Jake growls.

"No, he just looks pissed!" Sean counters.

"Why is he attacking the Vaanti?" Diego asks, his voice strained.

"Don't know," Estela says flatly, "don't care. Just be glad you're not in that tree right now."

"Seriously," Zahra agrees. "We need to get as far from that place as possible."

But as Yvonne steers the boat towards the opposite shore, a silence falls over the group.

"...We have to help them," I say with conviction, pushing myself upright.

"You...want to go back?" Grace asks.

"Dude!" Craig cries. "Are you insane?"

"Even if that weren't a total death wish, did you happen to forget that those people just imprisoned us for life?"

"And that was only because they couldn't execute us!" Aleister adds.

"Not all of them hated us!" I protest. "The old shaman was on our side! And there are children living there!"

"And Varyyn is a good person!" Diego adds. "He couldn't help what his mother did to us."

"Alodia is right," Grace agrees. "We can't blame them all."

' "I hate to say it, but yes," Aleister sighs. "Alodia is identifying a logical fallacy."

"But what can we even do to help?" Grace wonders.

"I don't know," Sean says. "And I know it sounds crazy. But lives are at stake right now. We have to try. ...No matter what happens, we have to. You already know I'm with you, Alodia."

"Me too," Diego says. "Your sidekick for life."

"I'm right behind you," Quinn declares.

"I'm way, way behind you," Zahra says. "But pretty much right there with ya."

"The pilot sure is quiet right now," Michelle remarks.

"Me?" Jake shrugs. "This is Alodia's show. I'm just along for the ride."

"In more ways than one."

"Oh, shut up, Diego," I groan, rolling my eyes. He snorts with laughter.

"...So...we're seriously doing this?" Raj asks nervously.

"Looks like we're doing it," Craig agrees.

"You must be joking!" Yvonne cries. "You all belong in the madhouse! You may have a deathwish, but I'm not sticking my neck out!"

"Just get us close then. We'll do the rest."

Yvonne growls wordlessly, but she steers the vessel and glides it near the shore not far from the city. We hop off into the rising stormtide. One of us hangs back.

"...Estela?"

Estela, still on Yvonne's boat, does not look at me. "...I can't. There's too much at stake for me. I can't risk not finishing what I came here to do."

"At least one of you has any sense about you," Yvonne declares.

"...Estela..." I murmur. "...This isn't you. I know I haven't known you long, but I already know you've never walked away from a fight in your life. ...But you do as you must." I turn away and head up the shore.

"...Wait up!" I turn back in time to see Estela hop off the boat and run through the tide to catch up. Yvonne shakes her head in dismay. As Estela catches up to me, she slips her hand into mine under the waves. "...I'm with you, Alodia."

"Good...'cause I'm pretty sure we can't do this without you."

"Obviously."

"I wish you all _bonne chance_!" Yvonne calls out. "But you cannot save everyone!"

"Then I guess we'll die trying!" I call back defiantly.

"Ah, mes petits martyrs...au revoir!"

Then Yvonne and her vessel vanish into the fog. As everyone runs up the beach, Jake grabs my hand and pulls me back.

"What's-" I'm cut off by a fierce kiss. He pulls me close as the tide washes around my ankles. I'm breathless when we finally separate. "...What was that for?"

"What? It's a good luck kiss."

I smile. "You think your kisses are lucky?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

I kiss him. "...I'll tell you if we're alive in an hour or so."

I take his hand and we run to catch up with the group, hurrying toward the base of the enormous tree city. Cries can be heard from above. Furious battle cries. Shrill cries of terror. Broken cries of pain...

"Come on!" Sean orders. "Up these stairs!"

I leap up the wood-carved staircase that climbs the trees massive roots, taking the steps two at a time. As we reach the top, Seraxa is marshalling the troops.

"To the elevators! Move it!"

The Vaanti spot us as we emerge.

"The Catalysts?! Here?!"

"Impossible!"

The soldiers spread out to flank us with weapons drawn.

"See, this is why we should've kept going," Zahra mutters.

"Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy!" Jake shouts. "We're here to help!"

"How did you escape Sharktooth Isle?" Seraxa snarls.

"We called an Uber," Michelle deadpans. "Who cares?"

"It's their fault!" one of the warriors cries. "They summoned the Sea Guardian to destroy Elyys'tel!"

"And now they have come to finish us off!" another adds.

"No!" Quinn protests. "That's-"

"We should have killed them when we had the chance!"

"We still do," Seraxa says flatly, drawing her obsidian dagger. "You have brought ruin to my people...but at least I can still bring ruin to yours!"

"Bring it on," Estela growls.

"Diego!" a new voice cries out amidst the commotion. Varyyn looks down from a level above us.

"Varyyn!" Diego cries. "Hey...long time no see..."

At Seraxa's signal, the Vaanti begin closing in, weapons poised to strike. Then there is a choking noise from above us. A Vaanti archer slumps forward, hanging motionless over a tree branch. Lila stands over the unconscious archer, his bow in her hands, the arrow knocked and aimed at Seraxa's head.

"Back! Off!" she snarls.

Seraxa sneers, raising a fist to halt her warriors' progress. "I was afraid you were going to make this too easy."

"Lila, you're making it worse!" Grace cries.

"I'm sorry, Grace, but I can't let anything happen to my group!"

A pair of guards moves in to protect Seraxa, but she waves them away. "It is no matter. Puny girl doesn't know how to use-" She is cut off as an arrow whizzes past her head, cleanly slicing off one of her braids. Lila already has another arrow knocked.

"Keep talking if you want me to finish the haircut."

"If Lila kills the Un-Jolly Green Giant," Jake whispers to me, "it'll just prove what they already think about us!"

"Lila!" I bark. "Stand down!"

Lila looks at me in surprise. "...But..."

"Now!"

She shifts uncertainly, looking like a scolded child. "...Well...if you say so, Alodia..." She lowers the bow, tossing it aside.

Seraxa eyes me suspiciously. I meet her gaze steadily.

"We told you. We're here to help."

"The Catalysts of legend were famously cunning. How can we trust this isn't a trap?"

"That's all you _can_ do. Trust."

Seraxa narrows her eyes, sizing me up.

"Hi, Cat-a-liss!" a childish voice startles me. The pale-haired Vaanti boy who waved to me as we were escorted out of the village skips into the circle of spears and waves at me again.

"Taari!" Seraxa snaps. "What are you doing?! Get out of here!"

"Why? I wanted to say hi to the Cat-a-lissus! And I brought my slingshot to fight Cetus! Do you like it?" He turns to me and holds up a rudimentary slingshot made from a Y-shaped branch. A regular Dennis the Menace kind of weapon.

"Uh..."

"It's great, kid," Jake says bemusedly.

"I think it's pretty sick!" Raj declares enthusiastically.

"You have to go, Taari!" Seraxa says firmly.

"Why?!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"That's okay! The Cat-a-lissus are here to save us!" For the first time, he seems to notice the spears encircling us. He frowns. "Are you guys playing a game? The bad guy is this way!"

He charges out of the circle, slingshot raised. Seraxa and I lock eyes. She signals her warriors to lower their weapons, never taking her eyes off me.

"...I am the war chief here. You do as I say, when I say it. One false move, and I feed you to Cetus myself."

"As the one pegged under the sign of Andromeda, I _really_ hope it doesn't come to that."

"Come, our defenses are this way. Time to see how you handle yourselves on the field of battle, Catalysts. The beautiful thing about battle is that it always reveals one's true colors."

She leads us and the Vaanti troops up a winding staircase around the base of the tree. On this level, Vaanti warriors man catapults, launching flaming rocks at Cetus, but the beast is occupied with attacking the treetop. It chomps down on a massive branch and snaps it off, sending Vaanti archers falling into the frothing sea. Varyyn hurries to join us.

"Seraxa, where are we going?"

"The Sea Guardian is attacking the peak of the city."

"My mother is up there," Varyyn says grimly. "I will not allow her to die while others run for their lives."

"Why is Cetus doing this?" Quinn wonders.

"We don't know," Seraxa admits.

"Cetus sinks any vessel that wanders far from the island shores," Varyyn says, "but he has never attacked Elyys'tel itself."

"First time for everything," Estela remarks.

"We have to find out why he's here," I say.

"Oh! And pray tell, how do you plan on finding that out?" Aleister sneers. "A sit-down interview?"

"No, Alodia's right, though!" Grace protests. "I mean, look at this specimen! He's surely impossible to kill! All behavior is driven by biology. If we find out the cause, we address the effect!"

"Um...right. That is what I meant."

"Then we go to the top, to the focus of Cetus's attack," Varyyn says. "And we discover what the beast wants."

"The elevator's on the other side of the city!" Taari says enthusiastically. "Come on!"

"Taari!" Seraxa snaps. "Go to the hills with the other children! That is an order!"

"No! I want to fight!"

He scampers ahead, brandishing his slingshot.

"He's going to get himself hurt!" Sean cries.

"His parents were fishermen," Seraxa says grimly as we hurry after him. "One day, a storm blew them too far out to sea."

"And Cetus killed them."

"...I fear it is personal for him."

"He has no family?" Quinn asks sadly.

"We are all his family here. I look— _Look out!"_

High above us, Cetus tears off another gigantic branch. The branch plummets straight toward us. The catapult operators scatter.

"Run!" Estela cries. We all dive out of the way. Craig scoops up Zahra, sprinting to safety. The branch smashes through the walkway we'd just been on.

"That was too close!" Zahra mutters. Then she realizes she's cradled in Craig's arms with her hands around his neck, at the same moment he realizes it. He blushes.

"...I..."

"Put. Me. Down."

Craig hastily sets her back on her feet. "It's okay. Nobody saw us."

"I think _he_ saw us!" Michelle points twenty stories up, to where Cetus has pinned us with his eyeless gaze, fangs glistening.

"Man the catapults!"

Craig, Zahra, and Michelle run to one catapult, while Aleister, Grace, and I hurry to another. Varyyn and Seraxa take a third.

"Crank the wheel before you load the shot!" Varyyn shouts over the storm. "Ignite it with the torch! Then pull the lever to fire!"

Cetus coils up, his enormous head looming closer. We crank the wheel, load the shot, put the torch to it.

"Pull!" The catapult arm springs forward, sending its fiery ammunition arcing into the sky, connecting with its target. Cetus roars furiously, thrashing.

"Got him!"

"B-5! It's a hit!"

Michelle, Craig, and Zahra load their shot and fire. This one hits Cetus directly in the face. Craig whoops, pulling Michelle and Zahra into the hug and then turns to face Cetus.

"Yeah! You want some more?! Come at me, bro!" Lightning crackling between his teeth, Cetus turns towards Craig. Craig yelps in alarm. "Bro, he's coming at me!"

"Take cover!" I scream. Lightning shoots out of the creature's maw, exploding their catapult in a hail of splinters.

"This dude is way too O.P.!" Zahra cries.

"There are more catapults!" Seraxa shouts. "We must keep firing to give us time to reach the treetop!"

"We're on it!" Grace declares. "You guys keep moving!"

"Yeah!" Craig agrees. "We'll cover your ass!"

"Craig, if I remember sophomore year, you literally can't even cover your own ass."

"That! Was! A! Dare!"

"Hurry!" Varyyn cries. "The elevator is this way!"

We follow Varyyn and Seraxa to one of the weighted elevators of Elyys'tel. Massive wooden platforms ascend the height of the great tree, suspended from gigantic iron chains.

"Everyone on! This will bring us nearly to the top!"

As the elevator rises, we watch the battle raging around us.

"This elevator is incredible!" Lila gasps. "How does it lift so much? What do you use as a counterweight?"

"It looks like anchors," I remark.

"Many ancient ships met their demise in the jaws of Cetus. My people built some of their earliest works from their bones."

The elevator rocks as it reaches its peak. We disembark, and find ourselves at the height of Cetus' head, watching from a short distance as the titanic beast tears at the branches of the tree.

"Come!" Varyyn calls. "We will circle around the inland side to avoid— _Taari!"_

We all whirl to see Taari running towards Cetus.

"No!" Seraxa cries.

"What is he doing?!"

"Hey, ugly!" Taari shouts. He pulls back and launches a pebble at the creature. It plinks off his head. "Go away! Leave my friends alone!"

Cetus turns towards the boy, lightning gleaming between his massive teeth. Taari might as well be a mosquito.

"Taari, no!" The cry is out of my mouth before I realize I'm even screaming. My feet carry me forward, and I dive for the child, grabbing him in my arms and rolling out of the way, just as Cetus' massive jaws take a bite out the wooden walkway. I scramble to my feet with Taari in my arms, rushing out of the creature's reach.

"Did you see that, Seraxa?" Taari yells, waving from my arms. "The Cat-a-liss saved me! Can you be my hero, Cat-a-liss? I wanna be just like you!"

Seraxa and the others have already circled around the other side of the walkway to meet us. Seraxa drops to her knees before the child, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Stupid, stupid child!" she screams.

Taari's eyes go wide, his lips quivering.

"I...I'm sorry, Seraxa..." Seraxa pulls him into a tight embrace, cradling his head against her shoulder. She looks up at me, her eyes astonished and shimmering with tears.

"You...saved him..."

"...You sound surprised."

"That is because I am." She swallows. "...Thank you. If we both survive this battle, I will repay you."

"Worry about that later!" Estela snaps. Cetus has redoubled his attack on the treetop.

"The Guardian is trying to get into the throne room!" Varyyn cries, panic rising in his voice.

"The elyyshar. She is still inside, yes?"

"I hope," Varyyn answers fearfully. "But I am afraid. I have never seen Cetus act this way, with such purpose."

"We can't know what he's after if we can't get into the throne room," Sean says. "And right now, there's about ten thousand huge teeth in the way."

"We have to distract him," I reply.

Varyyn nods. "Come. I have something in mind."

He leads us to the inland side of Elyys'tel, where several winged vehicles await.

"Hang gliders?" Lila asks uncertainly.

"They were built for the Three Tribes' War. Warriors would fly over Quarr'tel under cover of night and drop..." he frowns, searching for the word in English.

"...Bombs?" Diego suggests.

"Yes. That is the word. Bombs of fire."

"Incediary bombs. Those oughta do some damage." Jake runs his hand along one of the gliders, a sleek craft of wooden struts and canvas wings. "Not bad. Two man crew, right? One pilot, one bomber? My old squad leader, Commander Lundgren...he'd have us in pairs too."

"These gliders. They are difficult to fly," Varyyn warns. "Very responsive. Takes a warrior years of training-"

"Don't worry about it, Blue's Clues," Jake says dismissively. "I just need a copilot." He grins at me, and I grin back.

"I'll take one, too," Sean declares.

"Yeah!" Raj cheers. "Let's do this!"

"...Okay, _they_ might need a little help," Jake mutters.

He leads me over to one of the crafts. He hooks me into the lower harness before strapping into the one above me.

"You ready for this, Princess?"

"I don't think anyone could ever be ready for this," I answer.

"Yeah, dumb question."

Raj and Sean climb into a glider on one side of us, Diego and Varyyn on the other. I grin over at Diego, also in a lower harness.

"Fancy meeting you here."

He grins weakly back. "...Kinda like a rollercoaster, isn't it?"

"Yeah...don't we hate rollercoasters?"

"Vehemently," he confirms.

"This is sweet!" Raj crows. "So how do we get airborne?"

"Walk to the edge," Varynn says, "and step off."

I peer over the edge of the platform, and feel vertigo kick in.

"You can do this, Princess. On three...one...two...three!" We tip over the edge, and the glider plummets, nose straight down. The urge to scream bubbles up in me, but the rushing wind steals my breath.

"Come on, baby," Jake mutters above me. The canvas wings finally catch the wind and send us hurtling back into the sky. He pulls a cord, and the harnesses pull our legs parallel to the glider's frame.

"Oh, god..." I whisper.

Jake whoops above me. "Yeah! Isn't this aweso—oh, crap!"

Cetus rears, lightning flickering in his teeth. Jake banks hard, barrel-rolling out of the way just in time to avoid the bolt. Varyyn's glider swoops over to us, Diego underneath him.

"I am impressed," he admits. "Perhaps one day if you work very hard for many years, you will be as good as me!"

"Gimme five minutes!" Jake retorts.

"Hey!" Diego shouts. "Does anybody see-"

A third glider goes rocketing past, spinning out of control. Raj and Sean's frantic cries waver in pitch as they rush past.

"They're totally out of control!" I cry. "They're going to be killed!"

"I'm okay!" Raj calls. "I think I've got the hang of it-"

"You don't got it, Raj!" Sean shrieks. "You do not got it!"

Varyyn deftly dodges another bolt from Cetus' mouth. Diego yelps.

"What am I even doing here?!" I hear him cry in dismay. "I should be in my pajamas, binge-watching _Friends_!"

"I am your friend now, Diego!" Varyyn assures him. "I will protect you!"

Two gliders close in on Cetus. I can't see Raj and Sean anywhere.

"The bombs are in the satchels hanging from the wings!" Varyyn calls. "Throw them as we fly past!"

I reach into on of the satchels dangling beside me and grab a wooden sphere, aiming carefully, but as I release it, the stormy winds snatch it from my hand and fling it off course. Diego's bomb also arcs wide, landing harmlessly in the water around the beast.

"The wind's too strong! I can't hit him!"

"Let's see you try it, Cap!" Jake yells. I look back and see Sean and Raj's glider limping up beside us. Sean cocks his arm back and throws, but once again, the winds overcome the small wooden sphere and hurl it into a waterspout.

"We gotta get closer!"

"You wanna get closer to that thing?!" Raj cries.

"Jake! Can you get me in there?" I ask.

"Yeah, but it's gonna take some tight turns! Lean your body weight with me, and we'll pull it off! Just focus and feel, and when we're close, drop holy hell on this Godzilla wannabe!"

"Consider it dropped!"

"Okay! Here we go!"

Jake steers the glider straight towards Cetus, dangerously close.

 _Apples...apples...apples..._

I feel him preparing to bank left a split second before he does it, and throw my weight with his. He dodges bolt after fiery bolt, laser-focused. I ride the currents of his body in perfect tandem, shifting my weight at precise moments, feeling almost dreamy.

"Go, Allie!" I hear Diego shout through the storm. "You're unstoppable!"

"We're in, Princess! Drop 'em!" I yank at the knot holding the bomb satchel closed and the bag pours open. About two dozen explosives drop straight onto Cetus' head. The creature writhes in fury, and Jake swoops us in close by his head. The glow from the illuminated esca on his head nearly blinds me. I throw a hand up in front of my face, and find an afterimage burning red in front of my eyes. Then, I feel time slowing down. The light in the esca seems to dim. Plain as day inside of the bulb, I can see an amber idol. A naked woman with her arms crossed over her chest, chains twining in a double helix around her.

"Bank left!" Jake's voice breaks into the trance a moment too late. "Bank l-"

The bolt slices through the glider's wing. Fire erupts above our heads. I yelp.

"Gotta eject!" Jake cries. "Hold onto me!"

He wraps his arms around my waist, steering us towards one of the platforms of the Vaanti village. As soon as he can safely justify, he detatches our harnesses, pivoting in the air to place himself under me. We land hard on the deck, the breath rushing painfully out of me. We roll together to a stop as the glider crashes and burns. I sit up frantically.

"Jake! Are you all right?!" He sits up, wincing.

"Fine. Totally fine."

"You broke my fall, you crazy idiot!"

"Yep. Not regretting it at all. Not one bit." I grab his face in my hands and kiss him fiercely. As we separate, he smiles. "...Now I'm regretting it even less. ...You okay?"

"I think so..."

He pushes damp strands of hair off my forehead. "What happened up there?"

"...I..."

A howl from the wounded sea monster draws my attention again. Cetus has turned his attention on Sean and Raj. He opens his gaping maw, surrounding their glider. I scream. All he has to do is close his jaws, and they'll be lost. But Raj pulls it out, narrowly slipping out between Cetus' teeth.

"Surprise, son of a bitch!" Sean shouts. There is a deafening explosion, and I realize that Sean dropped his entire bomb bag inside Cetus' mouth. Smoke drifts out from between his teeth. Writhing in agony, the giant beast crashes forward, straight through the great tree's elevator. The platform shatters, and Cetus is tangled in the iron chains. Howling in fury, the creature struggles, but the massive anchor is stuck on a thick branch, limiting his movement. Varyyn and Diego land gracefully on the platform beside us and quickly detatch from their harnesses.

"We must go," Varyyn declares. "This is our chance!"

Raj and Sean crash land a few stories below us.

"We're okay!" Sean shouts up at us. "You guys keep going! We'll catch up!"

We race into the throneroom, where several Vaanti are huddled fearfully around the throne. Uqzhaal raises his hands in a pose of supplication.

"The Catalysts are here! We are saved!"

"We need to get everyone out of this glorified treehouse before Freakachu out there goes full lumberjack and tears the place down!"

"I'm afraid we cannot evacuate," Ximeadra says grimly. "Many in the village are too young, too old, or too sick. Catalysts, my war chief tells me you've been fighting side-by-side with the Vaanti to protect Elyys'tel."

"We're here to help," Estela confirms, giving me an almost imperceptible nod.

"You have my gratitude. Right now, what we truly need is a means of quelling the Sea Guardian's anger."

"...I may have an idea about that," I say slowly. "Cetus has one of the Catalyst idols in his esca, the light on his head."

"Ahh, that explains much," Uqzhaal agrees. "Do you remember the ritual I performed at the tribunal? That was meant to attune you with your vaalta. If the Sea Guardian possessed one of the idols, the ritual must've drawn him to this location." He gestures to where the three idols they had confiscated sit by the throne.

"So, he's going after the idols?" Lila asks.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Quinn falter. She leans against the wall and slides down to the floor. Michelle and I hurry over to her.

"Quinn? What's wrong?"

Quinn clutches her chest, her expression twisted in pain as she pulls in one ragged breath after another. "I'm...a little winded..."

Michelle takes her wrist between her thumb and first two fingers. "Your pulse is really slow," she says grimly.

"I'm fine, I—" She struggles to push herself up, but can't manage it.

"Just rest here, okay?" I say, brushing damp strands of hair off her pale forehead.

"I won't quit, Alodia. I'm not giving up."

"I know. I'm not asking you too. I need you to keep fighting, and that's why you have to rest now."

She swallows and nods.

"Catalyst!" Seraxa barks. "We must decide on a strategy now!"

I bite my lip a moment. "...We should get the idols out of the city. Someone takes what Cetus wants and flies a glider inland, out of reach."

"Don't give the bastard a reason to stick around," Jake agrees.

"Whoever does that might not survive the escape," Sean points out.

"Certainly not," Varyyn agrees. "We have one glider left, and it is right in front of him. It is impossible for all of us to survive this!"

"We must try!" Uqzhaal declares. "All that matters is the idols. They are our key to finding the Endless."

"I do not see you volunteering, Uqzhaal," Seraxa growls.

"But he is right," Ximeadra says. "The idols guide our way to the Endless One. Without them, we may not survive Raan'losti. We cannot give them up. Have faith. We will reach that glider."

We take a moment to prepare, quickly delegating assignments. The three idols are added to the ones I found on Sharktooth Isle, and tucked into a woven bag. Then, we head out of the throneroom for the final encounter. Varyyn crouches with us behind cover.

"We must move with haste. As soon as Cetus notices us, he may quickly destroy the glider."

"I'm ready," Diego declares.

"...Are you sure?" I ask, unable to disguise my worry. He holds up the bag containing the idols.

"I can do this," he says firmly.

"I'll get him outta here safe and sound," Jake promises.

I look from Diego to Jake. "You'd better. Don't think I'll forgive you if anything happens to him."

"What if something happens to _him?_ " Diego asks.

"She'll forgive you in a heartbeat," Jake informs him with a grin. "I know my place, buddy. You're the best friend, I'm just the boyfriend."

"We must go," Varyyn says.

"On my count," I murmur. "One...two..."

"Where is she going?" Lila exclaims. I look where she's pointing. Walking to the edge of the city...is Ximaedra.

"Here me, Sea Guardian!" the elyyshar calls, her voice strong and clear. She draws back a bow and launches a single, plain arrow. It sticks in Cetus' side, hardly a pinprick.

"Mother!" Varyyn cries. He rises to go after her, but I grab his arm.

"No! Don't go!"

"She is in danger!"

"I know," I answer grimly.

"She is giving us a distraction," Estela says solemnly. Ximeadra launches another arrow.

"Hear me!" she bellows. Finally, Cetus turns to her, lightning blooming in his teeth.

"Dammit! Petey, we gotta go now!" Jake grabs Diego's wrist, and they make a break for the glider. Varyyn takes advantage of my distraction to break my hold and run after Ximeadra.

"Mother!"

Ximeadra looks back at her son, her crimson gaze solemn. "You were right, my son. It is impossible for all of us to survive this."

"No!" He picks up speed, but he's too far away.

"The people look to you now, elyyshar."

I can't bear to watch. I turn away, covering my face. Estela pulls me against her, shielding me, softly praying in Spanish. When I can bring myself to look, Ximeadra's body is crumpled on the walkway. Varyyn reaches his mother's side and pulls her into his arms. She is still alive, but barely. Tears run unchecked down his face.

"Mother, please, I cannot be elyyshar. You must lead us through this!" He reaches for the blue crystals of her necklace, but she grabs his wrist, shaking her head weakly.

"Some...choices...must...last..." Her hand slides from his wrist and falls to her side. Varyyn trembles violently, the Sea Guardian looming behind him. A noise grabs Cetus' attention. He turns his eyeless gaze towards Jake and Diego, flying toward the center of the island. I catch Diego looking sorrowfully back at Varyyn, sobbing over his mother's body.

"They did it," Estela says, finally releasing me. "They're safe."

But Cetus' attention is on them now. An energy in the air sets every hair on my body on end.

"Did you guys feel that?" Lila whispers.

"Oh, no..."

I cry out. In front of Jake and Diego, a funnel cloud descends from the sky and makes contact with the ground.

"What the hell?!" Estela cries. "Did this thing just make a tornado?!"

"Yes," Seraxa says grimly. "Cetus _is_ the storm."

The rotating wind overpowers the glider, spinning them back towards Cetus.

"No!" I pull away and run towards Varyyn. "Varyyn, we have to do something! Cetus is bringing Jake and Diego back! We have to help them!"

"How could I?" Varyyn whispers. "I couldn't even save my own mother."

"Goddammit, Varyyn, there's no time for this! Diego's up there! He'll die unless we do something!"

"I know you won't let that happen, Varyyn," Lila adds. "I know you won't let him get hurt!"

The appeal works. Varyyn stirs. He gets to his feet and looks to the sky. Seeing Diego's predicament, he casts his eyes around the environment for an inspiration.

"We have to force a retreat, and we don't have much time."

In the sky, Jake and Diego are tumbling closer to the Cetus every second.

"How? Even the bombs didn't finish him! We don't have anything strong enough!"

"But he does," Varyyn says flatly. He points to Cetus. I gasp sharply.

"The iron chains!" I cry. "He's still caught in the anchor's chain!"

"The metal will conduct the electricity back to him! Alodia, you're a genius!"

"That is the plan," Varyyn confirms. "We get Cetus to hit the anchor with a bolt of lightning. There is only one thing that can lure him now, and it is in Diego's hands!"

"But how do we get the idols? There are no gliders left!"

"There are no _intact_ gliders left," Varyyn corrects me. He is already climbing into the one I rode in before, the one with the hole burnt in one wing.

"That's crazy! You'll hardly be able to maneuver!"

"It will last long enough. It may be more difficult carrying the idol satchel, but it is the only way."

"Well, you're not going alone!" I say firmly, and climb into the lower harness. "I'll get the bag. You fly."

Varyyn takes a moment to size me up and then nods. We drop over the edge of the platform. The glider catches the air, wobbling from the hole in the wing, but it manages to stay aloft and sail towards Jake and Diego.

"What the hell are you doing!" Jake cries as he spots us. "Did you know this guy could make tornadoes?!"

"Diego!" I call. "Throw me the bag!"

"What?! Why?!"

"We have a plan!" Varyyn calls. "Trust us!"

Deigo nods, takes aim, and throws the bag. It arcs just slightly wide, but I manage to snatch it out of the air.

"You take care of Allie, Varyyn!" Diego calls. "That's my best friend you've got there!"

"You have my word, she will come to no harm."

Varyyn turns, guiding the tattered glider back to Elyys'tel, where Cetus awaits, still entangled in the chains. The serpentine creature roars, lightning blooming between his teeth again as he prepares to strike us down.

"It's working! He's looking right at us!"

Cetus howls, firing bolt after bolt as Varyyn streaks us towards the anchor. Finally, we dive behind the anchor just as Cetus fires again. A massive current rushes down the metal chain from where the bolt struck. Cetus writhes with the electric impact, and slumps against the tree, his head resting on a building. Varyyn brings us in for a landing, and I hastily rip free of my harness.

"The serpent still lives!" Seraxa informs us. "But he is wounded."

"There! Look!" I point to the bulb of Cetus' esca, where I can still make out the catalyst idol.

"I will mount the beasts' head and cut it out of him!" Seraxa growls. I clench my fists.

"...Get me my damn trophy," I say flatly.

With an eager grin, Seraxa runs, and takes a stunning leap, vaulting onto Cetus' head. She grabs his esca by the stem, pulls out her dagger, and slices straight through the thin tentacle. Cetus' massive body doesn't seem to react, but the detatched esca opens and releases the idol. It rolls down the creature's head and falls off the edge.

"No!" I run towards the edge, only to see the idol pass by, plummeting down toward the sea. A grim determination grips me.

"Alodia, don't!" I barely hear Lila as I leap from the top platform of Elyys'tel, weightless as I plunge through space.

"What are you doing?!" Estela screams. "Are you crazy?!"

I arc downward into a dive, stretching my fingertips toward the idol. The glinting amber gets closer...closer... I wrap my fingers around it just as I break the surface of the water...

… _The room around me is familiar and comforting. It's Diego's bedroom in the campus apartment we share. I lounge on his bed, watching him try on a new shirt. He turns from one side to the other, examining himself in the mirror. Thudding base from Saturday night frat parties wafts through the window._

 _"Okay...I guess this looks good enough," he says. I can almost remember this evening, I think..._

 _"Relax!" I say. "You look great!" He smiles at me in the mirror._

 _"Maybe I'll actually make some friends this time." Then, his smile drops and he sighs. "Or I could stop kidding myself, stay in tonight, and binge some Netflix."_

 _I come up behind him, rubbing his shoulders._

 _"What's wrong? You were talking about going to this party all week." He bites his lip._

 _"I did promise myself I'd go," he admits._

 _"I'm fine either way. I think we've still got ice-cream in the mini-fridge, and you know I'm always down for a_ Crown and the Flame _marathon."_

 _He grunts in frustration, lightly slapping his cheeks. "Ugh! Come on, I'll just go. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna do it." He lets his hands fall to his sides. "Sometimes I just...wish I had someone...special..."_

 _I give him a tight hug. "Diego, you're an amazing guy. You'll find someone. I know it. One day, you'll meet someone out of nowhere, and he'll be exactly who you've been looking for all along."_

 _He smiles at me again. Then a knock at the door startles us both._

 _"...Hello?" Diego opens the door. "...That's weird."_

 _He steps out into the hallway, looking around._

 _"Who is it?" I get up to follow him out, but the room around me is starting to blur, stretching towards the horizon. "Diego...? What's...what's happening...?" I stagger, struggling to maintain my balance, but I make it to the door, and follow him out, into pitch blackness. I look back towards our apartment, but it's gone._

 _"...Diego...?" My voice is small and helpless to my own ears. I walk forward through the void, hands outstretched. Then, light slowly begins to seep into my surroundings, illuminating the jungles of La Huerta. The volcanic peak of Mount Atropo is barely visible through the canopy. ...I suddenly realize that I am carrying a small shovel. I hear a clinking sound as I walk, and look down. A set of military dogtags hangs on a chain around my neck. I pull them up, wiping away the grime with my thumb to see the name embossed on the plate: 'McKenzie, J L'._

 _Jacob Lucas McKenzie._

 _I whip around, my heart hammering painfully against my ribs. I'm alone. Blood and dirt stain my clothes and skin._

 _"...Jake...? Raj...? Anyone...?"_

 _I trudge forward, and eventually break through the edge of the trees. Ahead of me is a cave. Or a temple carved into the cliff face. The head of a dragon has been carved around the entrance, jagged stone teeth looming over it. Stone stairs descend from the dragon's mouth like a lolling tongue. I climb them cautiously and enter the dragon's dark mouth. Each footstep echoes in the chamber._

 _"...Sean...? Grace...? You guys in here...?"_

 _My eyes slowly adjust to the darkness. I press forward until I step on a mound of dirt. I step back. It's about six feet long, but only two or three feet wide. There are more nearby. I count them...then I look down at the dirty shovel in my hands. Violent tremors start to race through my body._

 _...There are eleven mounds. ...Eleven graves._

 _"No...no, no, no..."_

… I break the water's surface with an explosive splash, plunging into salty, lukewarm water. I sink down into the darkness, the idol still clutched in my hand. The current around me shifts. Cetus, burned and wounded, slips back into the sea and retreats, the water displaced by his enormous body batting me around like a dead leaf. I watch him go until my lungs begin to burn, then I push towards the surface, breaching just when I think I'll run out of air. I trudge up the beach, hearing a massive cheer going up from the Vaanti as they watch Cetus retreat. Jake and Diego rush up to me, Jake catching me up in a fierce embrace.

"That was some quick thinking to bail us out back there. I guess I owe you one."

I snort. "Please, your tab is way past one."

"...Any reason why you're soaking wet?"

"Ended up taking a little swim. I'm fine."

"Has anyone seen Varyyn?" Diego asks.

The whole city rapidly goes quiet. I look past Diego. He turns to see Varyyn cradling his mother's body in his arms, solemnly bearing it through the crowd. As he passes, one by one, the Vaanti kneel to their new elyyshar.

With Cetus retreated, the storm clouds gradually disperse, and the Vaanti take up a jubilant procession through their ruined city.

"Kinda weird to have a parade when everything's destroyed, ya know?" Craig remarks.

"The elyyshar's coronation must take place as soon as the predecessor passes on. Through peace and war, the line of succession remains constant."

"Yeah, dummy!" Taari says.

"Hey, now, only my friends get to call me that. We ain't friends yet, kid."

Taari giggles. "I like this Cat-a-liss!"

Seaxa approaches me. "Catalyst. I have something for you, if you wish." She hands me a set of Vaanti clothing, neatly folded; a skirt and breast band of woven leaves.

"What is this?"

"You proved yourself one of us today. This is the honored attire of a Vaanti warrior hero. You have earned it."

"...Thank you." I quickly find a relatively private spot and strip out of the wetsuit I'm still wearing, replacing it with the green skirt and breast band. When I step out, Seraxa eyes me thoughtfully.

"Impressive. You do not do the uniform as much shame as I anticipated."

"That's probably the nicest thing you have ever said."

"Top five, certainly."

"Hey, lookin' good, Alodia," Michelle remarks.

"Whaaaaaaaaaa?! Alodia looks so cool!" Raj exclaims. "I want one, too!"

"You are not yet a hero of the Vaanti people," Seraxa says firmly.

"Come on, dude! I flew a glider into that thing's mouth!"

"...On purpose?"

Raj scoffs. "Whatever. I'll make my own hero clothes."

"You will not."

"Watch me!"

Seraxa clears her throat, looking at me again. "There is one more thing to give you, Catalyst. And this time, I insist. Please, follow me. Alone."

"'Oh...okay..."

I feel reluctant to leave my friends right now, but I follow Seraxa. She leads me along a winding tree path, up a narrow flight of stairs, to a small outdoor grove. There, I see a sumptuous, steaming feast has been laid out on a small table. It is a banquet to rival the one Raj threw for us on our third night to quell our bickering. Taari stands on a chair.

"Surprise!" he yells.

"What...what is...?"

"In our culture, when one saves the life of another, that debt must be repaid. First with a feast, and then with a great gift."

"You saved me," Taari explains, "so we feed you!"

"Oh...I mean...you don't have to..."

"It would be a great dishonor if you were to decline."

I force myself to smile. "Then...I'll be happy to eat." I don't feel hungry, though. Not at all. I feel...numb. Shaken. Scared. My mind is filled with images of eleven mounds of dirt. My brain keeps naming them: Diego. Jake. Quinn. Grace. Raj. Aleister. Michelle. Craig. Sean. Estela. Zahra. All lifeless in the earth. Everything I love about them flown. Only flesh left behind to rot.

I feel something soft on my bare feet. I look down to see a pale blue kitten rubbing the top of its head along my toes. Another kitten, this one hot pink, jumps into my lap and mews at me, its large eyes expectant. I feel giggles bubble up in me, and I surrender to them. As more multi-colored kittens and older cats surround me to nuzzle and sniff, purring loudly, the giggles come faster.

"Oh, god! Aren't you all so precious!" Murphy seems to agree with me, bounding about with the kittens, yipping happily and inviting them to chase him. I look up at Seraxa. "You're a big cat person, huh?"

"I have long found that cats make very good companions."

"They're her only friends!" Taari announces.

"Taari!"

"It's true!"

I rub one of the kittens behind its ear, and its fur changes colors as it purrs.

"Please." Seraxa gestures to the food. "Eat."

I look at the spread before me. There's a delicious-smelling plate of fish and crab...a bowl of what looks like a berry salad...and a big goblet with some kind of blue fluid. I pick out a bit of the seafood dish and put into my mouth. My mouth is instantly flooded with a savory, salty flavor with just a hint of zest. My stomach growls as I suddenly realize how hungry I really am. I reach for more.

"That dish is my favorite as well."

"That's called Sailor's Salvation!" Taari explains.

"My mother taught me to make it. One of the few things I know how to cook."

"It's delicious," I say around a large mouthful.

"I once ate so much, I threw up!" Taari announces.

"Once?" Seraxa scoffs. "At least three times." Taari giggles.

I greedily eat my fill, and slump back in my chair, stroking the cat on my lap.

"That...was incredible."

"I am happy to have you. After what you did for Taari, I consider you kin."

"Are you two gonna get married?" Taari asks. "Is the Cat-a-liss going to be my new mommy? Are you gonna kiiiiiiiiss?"

"No!" Seraxa says irritably. She shakes her head, looking at me. "The feast was part of your reward. I also offer you a great gift."

She pulls out her obsidian blade. She flicks it around and hands it to me hilt-first.

"Your dagger? Why are you giving me this?"

"Because I owe you a blood oath now. At great risk to yourself, you saved Taari, who I cherish like my own life."

I feel my chest tighten with emotion. "...Thank you, Seraxa."

She awkwardly bows to me. Taari gasps.

"I don't think I've ever seen Seraxa bow to anyone!"

"Do not become accustomed to it," Seraxa says flatly.

"Thank you, Seraxa. Really."

"No. Thank you."

In time, I rejoin the others in the throne room. Sunlight pours in through holes in the trunk left by Cetus' teeth. I move to stand with my friends near the dias. Varyyn sits awkwardly on the throne, tapping his feet nervously. Diego catches his anxiety and smiles.

"Relax. This is gonna be just like the ending of _A New Hope_ where they all get medals and smile at each other."

 _"A New Hope_. This is one of your stories?"

"It's the best one! Okay, so like, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

The room suddenly goes quiet as Uqzhaal enters, carrying a new crown. I feel Jake's hand slip into mine and squeeze.

"I like that outfit," he whispers.

"Oh, you do?"

"Yeah. Looks easy to take off."

I grin, poking him lightly with my free hand. "Cheeky."

"...You okay, Princess? You seem...off?"

I lay my head on his shoulder. "...It's just...been a very long vacation." He doesn't say anything to that, but he kisses the top of my head as Uqzhaal speaks.

"And so the cycle renews! Just as all life begins and ends upon Vaanu, the hope of all Vaanti rests on the shoulders of our elyyshar." The old shaman reverently places the crown upon Varyyn's head. "Rise now, Elyyshar Varyyn."

Varyyn lifts himself off the throne, and the gathered Vaanti kneel.

"Yeah! Go V-dog!" Raj cheers, applauding enthusiastically. A few masked faces swivel towards him, and he stops. "Oh...you guys don't do clapping. My bad."

Varyyn swallows. "...We have much to answer for. We have caused great harm to each other." His golden eyes fall on Diego. "...But now we must move forward together. Catalyst and Vaanti, side by side. The hope of our people does not depend on me. Nor is it determined by any one individual. It is the product of all who are gathered here. Because of every one us, Elyys'tel persists. We must never forget that."

The Vaanti nod solemnly. Then Taari starts to applaud. Seraxa joins it. Then more Vaanti follow. Soon, the audience hall is overtaken with riotous applause. Close as I am to them, I can just make out Seraxa murmuring to Uqzhaal.

"I still don't know. Do you really trust the boy to lead us through Raan'losti?"

"He is off to quite a start," the shaman says with a knowing smile. Then he frowns. "Though, the greatest storm yet lies ahead."

The crowds in the throneroom suddenly feel suffocating. I squeeze through the mass of bodies and slip out the door, welcoming the breath of fragrant air outside. I spot Quinn nearby, sitting on rope bridge, her feet dangling off the edge as she gazes out at the water.

"Quinn..." She starts a little, then smiles as I come to sit beside her.

"Oh...I'm glad it's you."

I let out a long sigh, surveying the damage left behind by Cetus' attack. It's a wonder that there's anything left, really.

"We did it, Quinn. We saved the day. Can you believe it?"

"As a matter of fact, I can."

I turn to look at her. "Really?"

"Yeah. Because of you, Alodia. More than this place, more than everything that's happened to us...it's you that makes me believe in the impossible."

For a reason I can't immediately place, I feel cold dread snaking through my insides. My heart beats a little faster, a subtle alarm.

"Good," I say. "Because we've still got a long road ahead if we're ever gonna get out of here."

"...Not me."

My blood runs cold. ...I've been here before. And I know what happens next. I grab Quinn's hand.

"Quinn? Quinn, stay with me. Something bad's about to happen..."

Quinn lets her head drop onto my shoulder. I put my arms around her, gripping her as if holding her tightly enough will prevent death from reaching her.

"Everyone fights so hard to have some say in their own life...to have some control over themselves," she murmurs, oblivious to my growing distress.

"Quinn, no! You can't let this happen! I didn't have time to change it yet!" It's a ridiculous thing to say, to think. But...why else would I have been granted that vision if I couldn't prevent it? It had to mean something!

"...But...in the end...all we really...have control over...is whether we...appreciated...what we had..."

I had a vision! I had a vision of her death! I had to have a chance to save her! ...To save all of them... But here she is...here Quinn is, fading in my arms, and I can't do a damn thing. I choke on a sob.

"No...no...don't leave me..."

"And...when you finally...make it...to...the other...side..."

" _Help!"_ I scream desperately. _"Someone, come quick! We need help!"_

"You'll...be...the queen..." Quinn trails off, sagging in my arms. I clutch her to me, rocking her desperately, trembling as the tears flow unchecked from my eyes. I press my cheek to the top of Quinn's head, screwing my eyes shut. When I speak, it feels like bitter surrender.

"...You'll be the queen you always carried inside you."

 _Six months ago..._

 _The Celestial_

 _The old shaman stands outside The Celestial, the Vaanti war chief at his side, her arms folded. Two warriors jog up the path to the high advisors._

 _"Still nothing, War Chief Seraxa," the female says._

 _"No sign of them, or of our missing brothers and sisters," the male adds grimly._

 _Seraxa sets her jaw, dismissing them with a curt nod. They retreat, and the war chief turns to the old shaman._

 _"It is time to call off the hunt, old man."_

 _"No. We must keep searching."_

 _"It has been two weeks. The Catalysts have vanished from this realm of existence. Well...eleven of them anyway. You have Canis back at Elyys'tel. That should suffice."_

 _"Have you forgotten all I taught you as a child, Seraxa? We cannot prevent Raan'losti without all of the Catalysts. They are a unit! A family!"_

 _Seraxa's hand shoots out to grasp the old shaman by the throat, lifting him clear off the ground._

 _"Enough of your delusions! I will not waste my warriors on your chase while the real dangers grow daily!" Uqzhaal chokes, his hands clawing at Seraxa's wrist, but she holds firm. "I serve at the pleasure of Ximeadra. She still believes your fairy tales for some reason. But she is old, like you. Pray that you die before she does. For when she goes, your dogma's paralyzing place in our society goes with her. As it should have after the Three Tribes' War."_

 _She drops him then, stalking off and barking an order for her scouts to follow. Uqzhaal lies crumpled on the ground, rubbing his bruised throat. For a moment, he is relatively still. The fight is still strong in him, but he would be a fool to deny that his support is bleeding away. The losses after the battle at the Hydra's fortress were great, and though he is quickly learning Canis' tongue, communication is still difficult. The boy is not willing to say much of his companions—particularly the mind-talker. The one whose name even the Endless keeps hidden. Canis calls her...what was it? El-oh-dee-ah...something like that. His devotion to her is plain. ...He fears the Vaanti, and frankly, Uqzhaal cannot entirely blame him. There are rumblings among those who follow Seraxa that the boy ought to be killed. ...He and Varyyn cannot protect him forever._

 _Uqzhaal gets unsteadily to his feet, leaning heavily on his staff. He knows what he must do now. He must seek the Endless._

 _The journey to the depths of the island's center takes many days. He stops often to rest his aching joints and old, creaking bones. But he is determined to make it. And at long last, he ascends to the peak of Mount Atropo. He steels himself against the blistering heat, peering into the blinding red light of the crater._

 _"Oh, Endless One who walks amongst the branches of time, please...speak to me..." Only the wind answers him. When he speaks again, his voice breaks with anguish. "We need your guidance. ...I need your guidance."_

 _Still, there is only silence. He feels the last of his strength and will bleeding out. His limbs buckle and he collapses in despair on his hands and knees. The deep wrinkles on his cheeks make rivers of his bitter tears. He is alone. He knows not what he seeks. He knows not what to do. It has been two years since last the Endless appeared to them..._

 _"Please..." he whispers. "Please..."_

 _"Do not despair, Uqzhaal."_

 _His eyes fly open, landing on a pair of red boots on the volcanic rock before him. He brings his head up slowly, scarcely daring to believe. ...But there they are._

 _"...You have come..."_

 _The Endless' red armor gleams in the light of the magma, covering every inch of their body. They have no face, only a red helmet, and their face is hidden by a dark mask. If they have a sex at all, they offer no hint of it. Even their voice seems to be every sex and none all at once. Above their skeletal right hand, they hold a ball of fire._

 _"Save your tears, Shaman," they say in perfect Vaanti. "There is still work to be done."_

 _"But the Catalysts...I don't know how to find them..."_

 _"You won't have to."_

 _"I...I don't understand..."_

 _"They will come to you."_

 _"You have foreseen this?"_

 _"I have foreseen all things."_

 _Uqzhaal feels he is soaking up new strength from the very rocks beneath him. "Thank you, Endless One. My people's thanks upon you-" He bends to kiss the red boots before him, but his lips only meet earth. He is once again alone at the crater._

 _Present Day_

 _La Huerta Observatory_

 _Rourke stands at the window, watching the magma flow gracefully beneath him. Iris hovers nearby, projected behind him._

 _"Tell me about our guests."_

 _"As expected, sir, following the protocol, all of the hotel's guests were directed to the MASADA pods as soon as the timequake began."_

 _"And the results?"_

 _"Only a 2% failure rate. On the low end of estimates."_

 _"They're fortunate to be alive at all."Iris' holographic face falls into a frown. "...What's wrong? Are you malfunctioning? ...Ahh. Aleister. Never fear, Iris. Your memory may have been wiped recently, but I never forget a thing."_

 _"There is something else, Everett. Something I think you should see. About one of the guests."_

 _"Show me." The drone projects a wall of light. A personnel file shimmers in a hologram. Rourke steps close to it, reading. He raises an eyebrow. "Oh, my...that name...One and the same?"_

 _"Indeed. It's him."_

 _"How did we not know he was here?"_

 _"He was checked into The Celestial under an alias. But DNA confirms it."_

 _"Then...what in God's name is he doing here?"_

 _"You might ask him yourself."_

 _"Right as always, dear. Let's wake him up. And put on a fresh pot."_

 _A few minutes later, a muscular, grizzled man with dark skin and a smooth, bald head limps through the door in his underwear. He notices Rourke sitting in a chair before him, legs crossed at the knee, smiling. The man's lips curl into a snarl._

 _"You've got five seconds to tell me who the hell you are."_

 _"Coffee first? It's Colombian. Exquisite."_

 _"Four."_

 _"Oh, very well. Who am I, Commander Lundgren? I am your new employer."_

 _"Careful. You don't know me, amigo. You don't want to know me. And I sure as sweet hell don't work for you."_

 _"You will once I tell you what I can offer."_

 _"I've got covert contracts with two dozen governments, enough money and guns to last a lifetime, so I don't think there's anything you can-"_

 _"Jacob McKenzie." Lundgren stops dead, staring at Rourke, who smiles placidly. "Work for me, and he's all yours."_

 _Lundgren is quiet a moment longer._

 _"...All right, then, 'boss'. ...I'm listening."_

 _"Good. We begin right away."_

 _"Just one thing first: I brought friends."_


	7. The Island's Heart

I clutch Quinn's limp body in my arms, rocking her as desperate tears stream from my eyes. She is so small...how can she feel so heavy in my arms?

"Wake up," I sob into her hair. "Please, Quinn, you gotta wake up. Please don't die..." I barely register the sound of running footsteps behind me.

"Princess! What's wrong?! You okay?!" As he gets closer, Jake sees exactly what's wrong. "...Oh, God..."

"Quinn!" Grace cries.

"Sh-she just collapsed! I d-don't know..." I trail off, biting my lip, nearly overcome with tears. Michelle kneels beside us.

"Easy, Alodia. Lie her down here." I do as she tells me, grateful for guidance. Michelle takes a moment to look her over, and for a moment, I feel hopeful. Then I look up and see tears in her eyes. "...No...please...please..."

"It's her Rotterdam's. The final stage is a coma."

Murphy nuzzles Quinn with his nose, trying to wake her. He whines. A sob bubbles up in me.

"I don't understand..." Sean murmurs. "She said she still had months to live..."

"We lost six months when we went through the portal," Michelle says softly. "It may have sped things up. ...If that's true, then she's probably only got a few hours left."

I shake my head. "No...no, it can't be..." Diego draws me into a steadying embrace, guiding my head onto his shoulder as I cry bitterly.

"The vine that had intertwined with her branches has woefully pulled her down," Uqzhaal says sorrowfully. "I grieve for your loss, Catalysts."

"...I did not know of her illness," Seraxa says solemnly. "...I am sorry."

"We can't just give up!" Grace protests. "What about those healing plants we found on the roof of The Celestial?"

"Those healed _wounds._ But this isn't an injury. It's part of her genetic physiology."

"Varyyn, please." Diego's voice is loud in my ear, pressed against him as I am. "You have to help us..."

"...There must be something we can do, Uqzhaal."

The shaman sighs. "There is one possibility. But all of our elyyshars, including your mother, have forbidden seeking it."

I pull back from Diego, whirling to throw myself before the shaman in a gesture of supplication. "Please...I'll do anything...we can't lose her. She means so much to all of us..."

"We're begging you!" Grace adds.

"Besides, you owe us!" Craig declares. "We saved your village! How about showing a little gratitude?"

"Our people _are_ in your debt," Varyyn agrees. "And more than that, you are my friends now. We _will_ do everything we can to heal her. Go on, Uqzhaal. As elyyshar, I command you. Tell us everything you know."

"...Legends speak of a crystal of tremendous life energy, hidden somewhere in the tree of Elyys'tel. Our ancestors called it the Island's Heart. The Heart is responsible for all of the prodigious growth you see around you. Its touch is said to renew all living things."

"So, we find this Miracle-Gro and give it to Quinn," Craig says. "Piece of cake."

Seraxa shakes her head. "The Heart exists to nurture the tree, not us. The legends warn us never to seek it out."

"I'm afraid Seraxa is correct. Its power is beyond what any one individual can command. Besides, the Heart is...not of this reality. It can only be found by those who walk between dimensions."

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding!" Zahra cries in frustration.

"As Catalysts, it is possible for you to enter that realm. But the journey is a perilous one."

"We're not afraid of danger," Estela says flatly.

"Uh, speak for yourself," Diego retorts. When I look sharply at him, he shrugs. "Hey, I'm not saying I'm not coming. But I also won't pretend I'm not petrified."

"It is not mortal peril I speak of. But you may become...lost, wandering the veil for eternity."

"If this is Quinn's only chance, we have to do it," Lila says resolutely.

"No more talk," Estela orders. "Where do we find this thing?"

"We must enter the Root Burrows. There lies your path to the Heart."

"Lead the way, then," I say. Uqzhaal nods, shuffling off and beckoning us to follow. I give Quinn's hand a final squeeze. "Hold on, Quinn. Just hold on."

I stand back, letting Varyyn lift Quinn gently into his arms.

"I will look after her while you seek the Heart. I promise, she will not be alone. ...Be careful."

"Good luck, Catalysts," Seraxa says solemnly. "You will need it."

We follow the old shaman through a series of dark, winding tunnels. Jake holds my hand as we walk.

"You holding up okay, Princess?"

"...This has to work, Jake. ...If it doesn't..."

"We're gonna do everything we can."

I shake my head. "That's not good enough. Not this time. ...This is bigger than just Quinn..."

"...What do you mean?" I go silent. "...Alodia?"

The image of eleven graves burns in my mind. Eleven graves...and only one left alive to dig them. If I can't save Quinn...how can I hope to save any of them? Michelle, Sean, Diego, Raj...all the others I've yet to watch die... I abruptly turn toward him and wrap my arms around him. He holds me back.

"...I have to save her," I answer softly. "I just have to."

"How much further?" Aleister asks ahead of us. "Do you even know where you're taking us?"

"Patience, Serpens. We are almost...ah!" He points ahead with his staff. "There!"

At the end of the tunnel, a tangle of plants blocks the path. Silver droplets fall from cracks in the wood, collecting in a small puddle.

"...That doesn't look so good," Craig says uncertainly. "You guys might wanna get your tree checked out."

"Imbibing the tree sap will allow you to enter a transcendent state, opening your eyes to dimensions beyond those normally apparent.."

"Sign me up!" Raj exclaims, bustling towards the dripping roots.

"Woah, woah! You expect us all to drink that stuff?!" Jake asks incredulously.

Uqzhaal raises an eyebrow. "The Heart is trapped between the world we all know and all other realities that converge upon this location. Perhaps you know another way to manipulate dimensional boundaries?"

"...Well...no."

Murphy sniffs the mirror-hued puddles curiously. I pick him up, anxious he might try to lap it up.

"Have you tried drinking it yourselves?"

"Of course. But the sap no longer has any effect on us. Our ancestors were the first to partake of it. Over time, the revelations of the sap changed our people, making us as we are today. It should still work its wonders on you, however. Or so we must hope."

"...Everyone ready?" Sean asks.

A silent look passes between everyone in the group. My friends are all with me, prepared to attempt the impossible. With them beside me, I almost believe that we will cure Quinn of an illness that has been a part of her at least since she was in her mother's womb.

"...Let's do it," I say. "I'll go first."

Uqzhaal untethers a silver chalice from his belt and lowers it to scoop up the sap, and offers it to me. I accept the cup, exhaling slowly. I take a small, cautious sip.

"Aw, dude, really?" Raj says mournfully. "You won't even feel it from that little dose!"

"Better safe than sorry," Lila counters.

The taste is unlike anything I've ever encountered. Sweet and bitter, burning and soothing...

"Is it gross?" Diego asks.

"It's actually not bad. Just...weird. It's almost like it's...everything at once." I pass the cup to him. "Your turn."

One by one, we all drink from the cup. When everyone's finished, we stand in the dark, looking at each other in anticipation.

"Uqzhaal, should we be...feeling something?"

"...It may take a moment. Honestly, the legends were rather vague."

"Wonderful," Michelle groans. "We don't even know what poison we just drank."

"Let us return to the surface. We can consult the ancient texts."

We follow Uqzhaal back up through the series of winding tunnels and out through the base of the tree trunk.

"This crap better kick into gear," Zahra mutters. "Quinn needs us to-"

My vision suddenly shatters into a million facets filled with impossible color, as if I'm looking through a kaleidoscope prism. I stop dead in my tracks.

"...Is anyone else seeing this?" Sean asks.

"It's hitting, dudes! It's hitting!"

I spin slowly in place. The world around me refracts in an infinite recursion.

"Uqzhaal?" Estela calls. "What are we looking at?"

There is no response. The old shaman is gone.

"I think we're in the space between dimensions," Grace says dreamily.

"It's so...trippy..." I drawl.

"Yeeeeeeeeah..." Raj agrees.

"This alone was worth this whooooooooole crazy trip..." Craig declares. "...Eeeeepic!"

"Yeah, Craig," Sean grumbles. "Let's just hope the N.C.A.A doesn't drug test for whatever's in this sap!"

"So, what the hell do we do now?" Diego wonders. "The part of the movie where the good guys start hallucinating usually doesn't end well."

"Agreed," Aleister mutters. "Tread carefully. And Grace, please stay next to me."

"Okay, Aleister," Grace says with a smile. "I'll keep you safe."

"What? No, I meant I'd...never mind."

"I dunno what y'all are freaking out over," Craig scoffs. "This is dope."

"Preach," Zahra agrees. She holds up a hand for Craig to high five, but their hands pass through each other.

"What the hell did I just see?" Jake mutters.

"Dude! Are we ghosts?!" Raj cries.

"Ha!" Zahra laughs. "I'm totally haunting you, Craig!"

"Nuh-uh! I'm haunting you!"

The others all start trying to make contact with each other, their fingers phasing through each other like liquid. I laugh, feeling heady.

"Hey, Diego! Get ready!" I run straight at him. He grins and turns toward me.

"Sure hope this works!"

We pass straight through each other. In the split second that our bodies cross, I feel a strange sensation. Immediately, I think of the vision I had when I touched the Canis idol. For that split second, Diego and I are one person, all the secrets of our souls shared and known and buried again when we separate.

"Woah!" Diego gasps. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah," I murmur. "It's like..."

"Like I _was_ you for a second." He pauses, drawing in a shuddering breath. "Wow. _Freaky Friday_ really did not do it justice."

"Okay," Sean says. "So...I guess we're ghosts right now. But we can't lose track of what we came here to do...wherever 'here' is."

"Right. Find the Island's Heart thing and save Quinn."

"The old man said it was feeding the giant tree, right? It's gotta be somewhere in the city."

"I suppose we just head up and see what we can find," Estela says.

We make our way to Elyys'tel's grand entrance, only to find it barricaded with a high wall of sharp wooden spikes.

"...I don't think this was here before," Lila remarks.

Zahra rolls her eyes. "Wow, Lila. Again with the subtle insight."

I frown, stepping closer to the barricade.

"Be careful, Alodia!" Grace cries.

"I'll be okay." I step closer, the wall's jagged spikes inches from my body. I reach out to touch the tip of a spike. It's sharp point pushes back for just an instant before my hand passes straight through the wall. "I'm through! Everybody, come on! We don't just phase through each other!"

"Sick!" Raj exclaims. "Ghost-Alodia for the win!"

One by one, we pass through the barricade into the Vaanti's tree city.

"Okay, we're inside," Jake remarks. "Now what?"

"We just have to figure out where this Heart thing is."

"Perhaps they can help?" Aleister suggests, pointing across the walkway. Several Vaanti warriors, armed with spears, are running towards us.

"There they are!" one shouts in Vaanti, his words translated in my head.

"Hey, fellas!" Jake calls. "Can you give us a hand?"

To our shock and horror, they level their spears right at us as they charge. A chorus of gasps, screams, and shouts of protest rises around me.

"Stop!" I shriek desperately. And in an instant, they stop. The Vaanti warriors freeze mid-charge. Not even their eyes move. I blink, dumbfounded. "Wh-what...?"

"Th-they stopped..." Lila stammers.

"Not just them," Estela points out. "Look."

I dare to glance around. Everything is perfectly still. The leaves, the clouds...

"I think...time just stopped."

"What the hell happened?!" Michelle demands. "Why were they attacking us anyway?"

"...I don't think it's us they were after," Sean says. "I don't even think they could see us. Look."

I turn around and gasp a little. There is another group of warriors behind us, also frozen in time, eyes burning behind their masks.

"They're attacking each other!"

"What the hell?" Craig cries. "Why? It was all peace and love ten minutes ago!"

"...The Three Tribes' War..." Diego murmurs. "The Vaanti talk about it sometimes. Like, a hundred years ago, they had a big civil war over their faith."

"The Faith of the Endless?"

"Yeah. Worshipping the spirit of the island. Listening to the Endless' every prophecy. Freaking out about Raan'losti. One tribe wanted full theocracy. Another wanted to cast the religion off entirely. It got bad. There was another huge tree city like this. It burned. Those twelve Catalyst idols we've been finding? Lost. Scattered."

"So, that's two tribes," Michelle remarks. "Who's the third?"

"They're the ones who won. Varyyn's ancestors just wanted peace. They defeated the leaders of both tribes and forced a truce. Everything just sorta went...back to normal."

"Good," I murmur. "They need balance."

"Seriously," Diego agrees. "Imagine how many more would have died if every side fought to the last man."

"It's a mistake to let your opponent survive," Estela says flatly. "It's just giving them a second chance to finish the job."

"So, are we... _then_?" Lila asks. "We're in the past?"

"It sure looks like it," Grace confirms. "It's not just space that's refracting. It's time, too."

"Hmm...and yet it seems it is possible to control the flow," Aleister muses.

I look at the frozen Vaanti. I concentrate, imagining them moving forward, just a little bit. Time slowly spools forward, everything moving as if through syrup. The first Vaanti group sprints sluggishly through our ghostly forms and collides with the second in a heated slow-motion battle.

"Are you controlling this slo-mo fight sequence, Allie? Zack Snyder would be proud."

"Xxxxxiiiiiiimmmmmmaaaaaeeeeeedddrrrrraaaaa..."

"Woah! Did you guys hear that?"

I concentrate, letting time resume its normal pace, and the voice comes again, this time at a normal speed: "Ximeadra! Where are you?"

"Paluan!" I turn to see a young Vaanti warrior woman in a fearsome skull mask on a distant platform several dozens of feet above us. "I'm here! This way!"

"It's her!" Estella exclaims. "Queen Ximeadra, a hundred years ago!"

"Uqzhaal said that the elyyshars had forbidden going after the Heart," Aleister reminds us. "If they knew something about its power..."

"Then manybe she knows where it is!" Grace finishes. "Come on!"

As the battle rages around us, we race along the platforms, keeping Ximeadra in our sight. Overhead, a Vaanti glider drops an incendiary bomb. It explodes, and fire eats away at the bridge ahead of us.

"Crap!" Craig cries.

"I'm on it!" I stay calm and focus, willing time to reverse itself. Warring factions split apart. The glider flies backward. The wooden bridge seems to swallow the flames, leaving sturdy wood in its place.

"Ha! Hell yeah!" Zahra cheers.

"Keep going!" Estela cries.

Before long, we reach another destroyed section of walkway.

"Dammit!" Jake growls. "We have no idea _when_ this happened. Could have been weeks ago!"

"It's too far to jump!"

"Look!" Grace cries. "Up there!"

High overhead, an arrow slashes the canvas wings of a glider. The Vaanti pilot struggles to keep control as he plunges downward, flying through the gap between platforms. I instinctively reach out my hand to grab the moment, and time freezes once more. The crashing glider is suspended precisely between the two platforms.

"Sick stepping stone you got for us, Alodia."

"Nice reflexes," Estela remarks. "I'm a little impressed."

"Only a little?" I ask with a grin. "Come on. Be honest."

She smiles. "Okay, maybe a lot."

"Hurry, Palaun!" Ximeadra calls above us, leading the other warrior along the catwalk.

"Alodia, wait!" Sean cries, grabbing my arm. I look down and realize that he has stopped you from running straight off the end of the platform.

"Shit! The path doesn't go any further!"

"We gotta find a way up to the next level."

We all look around frantically. Then my eyes fall on a thin, young branch of the great tree sticking up out of the bark.

"Guys, I have one more idea." I focus my will. Time begins to accelerate around me, and the small young branch begins to grow. "Quick! Grab on!"

Everyone latches onto the branch as it extends out and up, sweeping us toward the higher platform. Jake whoops delightedly.

"Ha! What a ride!"

We let go and land on the upper level. I dust off my hands.

"Nice job," Zahra remarks. "Maybe wanna reverse the process? Get us back to when we actually need to be?"

I concentrate. Everything rewinds again, the branch retreating back into the bark of the great tree. Suddenly, young Ximeadra is standing right there in front of us, talking quickly with her companion. The civil war once again rages below us.

"Do not lose hope, Paluan."

"The Faithless are trying to destroy all the Catalyst idols! Suppose they find the Island's Heart? What if they-"

"Do you really think the Heart from which this great tree blossomed could be destroyed by Vaanti hands? No. It remains beyond out realm. It existed long before us. It will be here long after our people are gone. We must focus on what we can protect: our people."

She opens a satchel on her hip, showing him an amber statue concealed within. He gasps.

"A vaalta! Are you handing it over to the devout?"

"No. It is too much power in either of the tribes' hands. It must be hidden. I entrust that mission to you, Paluan. Keep it safe, somewhere nearby."

"And what will you do, Ximae?"

She passes the idol to Paluan, and draws a broadsword of obsidian.

"I will bring an end to this."

She leaps onto a lower platform, diving back into the back into the battle. Paluan watches her go, and then darts off nervously.

"He's taking off with the idol!" Grace exclaims. "If we follow him, maybe we'll know where we can find it in the present!"

We jog after Paluan until he comes to a stop. He looks around for anyone watching, unable to see that we're right beside him through the interdimensional veil. He brushes aside a layer of moss and vines to open a small hole in the tree's bark, and slips the idol inside before dashing off. Grace reaches for the idol. As her hand approaches, time warps around her...and reveals a solid sheet of bark.

"...The opening must have grown over in the present. The idol's trapped!"

"You know, Grace, we _were_ just walking through walls a moment ago," I point out with a grin. "Go on. Try to reach through."

Tentatively, Grace reaches forward. Her hand disappears into the tree, and emerges holding the idol.

"I got it!" she cries happily, holding out the image of a masked ballerina in a feathery tutu. I reach to touch it, bracing myself. When my fingers brush the idol, I feel myself falling through time, just as before...

… _I'm in a lecture hall at Hartfeld. Professor Diaz dismisses the biology class, and Grace quickly packs up her belongings. As with Sean's vision, I am enough in her head to know that she is battling a full schedule. She has just three minutes to make it to her Economics class. After that, it's TA hours for Quantum Mechanics, then a group meeting for an engineering project. She is anxious, fearing she won't make it on time. She rises, rushing for the end of the row, and nearly runs straight into Aleister._

 _"I'm so sorry!"_

 _"It's...all is forgiven. I just...wanted to...Here. You dropped this." He holds out a capped fountain pen with her name engraved on its shaft: 'Grace Tamara Hall'._

 _"My pen! You found it! I lost this weeks ago!"_

 _"Y-yes. I...just found it now. I...wasn't...holding onto it or anything..." He blushes. "You should keep better track of your things."_

 _"I will. Thank you. Gotta go!"_

 _Aleister stammers for a moment, then steps aside, mumbling a goodbye. Grace darts down the steps, heading for the door. She pauses when she notices a crowd gathering around the front of the room._

 _"Diaz graded our papers!" Raj calls. "Come and get 'em!"_

 _Grace wiggles through the crowd to grab hers and looks it over. She freezes as her eyes scan the red markings circled at the top of the page: 'B-plus. I know you can do better than this!'_

 _Her heart sinks into an icy puddle in her belly. It can't be..._

 _"How'd you do, Grace?" Sean asks, coming up beside her. "An A as usual, I guess?"_

 _Grace stuffs the paper into her bag, flashing Sean a bright smile. "Sorry, I can't chat. Gonna be late for Econ."_

 _"Man, what'd I'd give for your 4.0. Congrats, by the way."_

 _Grace rushes out of the classroom and races across the empty quad. She can almost hear Professor Diaz's voice in her head: "I know you can do better than this!"_

 _What will she tell her mother? Should she just be honest? She has to accept that her daughter isn't perfect...that Grace will never be her mother...that she is never going to take over the company...that she's a disappointment..._

 _Tears burn her eyes, blinding her. She clenches her fists, letting her fingernails dig into her palms. When she blinks the tears away, she sees it: Professor Diaz's car, a modest sedan sitting in the parking lot. Grace drops her bag and picks up a temporary signpost from a nearby construction zone. Marching over to the parking lot, she smashes the signpost into the hood of the car._

 _"You know I can do better?!" she growls. "You know I can do better?!" Again and again, she brings the signpost down on the car. On the trunk, the sideview mirror, the door panels. "Well, I can't, okay?! I can't do any better! I can't!"_

 _She throws the signpost through the windshield, shattering the glass. The noise makes her stop. She stands still, feeling her breath getting shallow as it sinks in what she's just done. She has to turn herself in. But...what will her mother say...?_

 _She feels her hand scoop up her bag. She feels her legs take off at a full sprint. She doesn't know where she's running to. She doesn't know how far. She just runs._

 _The next day, she sits in the library, a book open in front of her that she cannot bring herself to read. She has not slept since yesterday, has not been able to keep anything down. All she can think about is what she did. She hears whispering nearby. I recognize Craig's voice._

 _"Yo, Zahra, did you hear somebody totally whaled on Professor D's ride? Was it you?"_

 _"Pfft. I wish. They don't know who it was yet?"_

 _There is a tap on Grace's shoulder. She turns to see Michelle behind her._

 _"Hey, Grace? There are a couple of cops here. They want to talk to you."_

 _"...Huh?"_

 _"Yeah, I know. What do they want? Did you see who banged up Professor Diaz's car?"_

 _"...Yeah...I guess I did..." She rises, walking towards the two officers. One of them is holding something small and silver. A pen, with a name engraved on the side: Grace Tamara Hall._

 _As the library melts away, I'm thrown forward through time. And now I'm on a ledge overlooking the magma chamber of Mount Atropo._

 _"Grace, hurry!" Lila cries._

 _"What are you waiting for?!" Michelle demands. "You said you could do it!"_

 _"I can!" Grace insists. "At least...I think I..."_

 _I finally see what's in front of her. She's delicately exploring the wiring of a small electronic box. On one side, a red LCD timer counts down. 0:00:58...0:00:57..._

 _"Grace, if you don't hurry up, Rourke's bomb is gonna kill us all!" Craig cries._

 _"Heavens, will you all shut up?" Aleister snaps. "Grace can do anything! She'll get us out of this!"_

 _But Grace is freezing up, trembling._

 _"You can do this, Grace!" Sean says desperately. "I know you can do this!"_

 _"I can't, okay?!" she suddenly screams. "I can't do it! I can't be what you want me to be!"_

 _"Grace, we don't mean to-"_

 _"I can't do better!" she wails. She picks up a rock and smashes the bomb, over and over and over._

 _"Grace, stop!"_

 _But Grace isn't listening. "I!...CAN'T!...DO!...BETTER!" She bashes the device one more time. The bomb clicks. The display skips to 0:00:00..._

 _The explosion turns my world white._

… I am looking into Grace's eyes. She smiles.

"We found another one, Alodia! Isn't that wonderful?" I can only stare at her. At last, I find the strength to nod.

"This is all well and good, et cetera," Aleister says, "but we are still no closer to knowing where the Heart is!"

"No, but we know _when_ it is!" Grace says, grinning.

"Ximeadra did say that this tree grew from the Heart, right?" Lila says. "We just have to rewind time to when it first started to grow!"

"A tree this big?" Sean remarks. "We're talking thousands of years, at least!"

"Damn right we are," Jake confirms.

"...All right, everybody," I say. "Hold on. I'm taking us back." I draw in a deep breath, and concentrate. Time begins to reverse, the sun moving backwards across the sky. War reverts to peace.

"It's getting faster!"

The buildings around us are deconstructed. The city of Elyys'tel retreats down the great tree's flank. As time races faster, I catched a glimpse of disheveled people in tuxedos and ball gowns roaming the rainforest.

"Woah! Check it out! Humans!"

On the horizon, enormous container ships sail toward you, their hulls emblazoned with a swirling logo.

"Rourke International," Aleister says. "Those are my father's shipping vessels."

The sea is on fire. At the horizon, a Venezuelan oil tanker is cracked in two, its black blood spilling from the wound. Nearby, an American detroyer exchanges torpedoes with a trio of German U-boats, and fighter propeller planes dogfight overhead.

"World War II," Jake gasps. "The Battle of the Caribbean."

Time moves faster than ever now. The epileptic flashing between day and night becomes a steady dim light too fast for my eye to catch, the sun and moon side by side in the sky. Pirate ships swarm the bay before me. The manor on Sharktooth Isle unbuilds itself. The large galleons give way to narrow, oared canoes covered in palm leaves, beaching themselves on the sands.

"This must be the Mayan explorers. We've gotta be around 1000 A.D now..."

"Come on, Alodia! Keep going!"

Everything blurs. Even the island's coastline begins to flucuate, warping in tidal erosion. Now, finally, the colossal tree of Elyys'tel begins to shrink, down to the size of an ordinary tree...then to a sapling.

"Now!" Diego shouts.

...But I don't stop. I keep going. The tree slips into the ground.

"What in heavens are you doing?!" Aleister demands.

"There's something I want to see," I answer, my voice dreamy to my own ears.

The sea to my north grows darker and colder. Glaciers encroach. Snow piles around my legs. I catch a flash of a sabertooth tiger prowling the frozen wastelands. Still I keep going.

"Where are you taking us?" Diego asks.

"The beginning," I say languidly.

The island itself shrinks beneath my feet. Lava pours up the slope of Mount Atropo, back into the withering volcanic cone. A pterodactyl flies overhead. The island is just a small, smoking tip of the volcano peeking over the waves. I float in warm, prehistoric water. Cetus swims nearby, oblivious to our presence. Finally, the volcano is entirely gone. We are completely submerged in water, feeling the currents dancing around us, but we breathe it as easily as air. I stop the rewind.

"How far back did we go?" Lila asks.

"My best guess based on the lifeforms we saw?" Grace answers. "Two hundred million years."

I let time drift forward. Everything is quiet and peaceful. Then, there is a loud _WHUMP!_ Far below us, an enormous fissure instantaneously opens in the ocean floor. Raj yelps.

"What is that?!" Blinding red light from the earth's mantle shines out, rippling in the depths.

"This has gotta be it," Estela murmurs. "The beginning of the island."

"But how?" Grace whispers. "What...how did that happen...? There was no quake...no plate movement..."

"Grace is right. This doesn't seem natural."

"...The hell?" Jake mutters.

"We...should get back to the birth of the tree," I say. "That's when we'll be able to see the Heart."

I concentrate again. Time blurs around us, and we arrive again at the place where the tree began to grow. I stop. Everyone falls silent.

"That's...that's gotta be it, right?"

"Cap, I think you're onto something."

Before us is a small nest of bone-white roots. Encased inside it is a brilliant light, brighter than any I've ever seen. Even in full daylight, I have to shield my eyes.

"It's...beautiful."

"We've found it! Now we can save Quinn!" Michelle exclaims.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to get it?" Raj asks. "We know were it is now, but what about in the present?"

I look down at the idol in my hand, and wonder if it will disappear when we return to our own time and dimension. ...Even if it doesn't, I suppose we can't just take the Heart right now, or Elyys'tel might cease to exist.

"Wait! Raj, we do know where it is in our time!" Grace says.

"Oh, good. ...Wait, we do?"

"Did you see those roots surrounding the Heart? There's only one place in Elyys'tel I've seen those before. The Heart is in the throneroom."

"At the very center of the tree," Aleister agrees. "It's a logical conclusion. Well-reasoned, Alodia."

"Well-reasoned is my middle name," I say with a grin.

"And I thought my parents hated me," he deadpans.

"Come on then, Alodia _Rose_ Chandler," Diego chuckles. "Let's get back to the present and grab the heart."

I set time moving again, fast forwarding this time, as fast as I can make it go. A sapling grows out of the nest of white roots, rapidly turning into an adult tree.

"Grab on, everyone!" We cling to the branches and the tree streaks upward. I watch everything I'd seen before play again at super speed. The city blooms to life around me. Peace becomes war becomes peace again.

"We're back!" Zahra exclaims. "Let's go!"

We race to the throneroom, phasing through the heavy wooden doors. Outside, I had grown accustomed to the prism effect on my vision, but inside, it's stronger than ever. The room seems to repeat indefinitely.

Raj winces. "This is kinda making my head hurt."

"Hang on," Sean says. "We're almost there."

The throne sits in the center of the the room. An extradimensional light beams forth, shining through the roots.

"There it is..."

I kneel before the throne and reach forward. My hand passes through the roots, and I feel my fingers close around something.

"I...I feel it!" Like the sap, the Heart is everything at once. Rough and smooth. Burning hot and freezing cold. Round and sharp. I pull my hand back, and it emerges holding a ball of pure white light. "Got it!"

"Uh...what's it doing?" Diego asks. Before I can answer, the light intensifies, engulfing everything. In the blinding white pool, I feel Jake's rough hand find mine.

"You still with me, Princess?"

I make a noise through gritted teeth that I hope is reassuring, wincing against the light. It bathes me completely, and then finally fades away. The audience hall is back to normal. The amber idol and the Island's Heart are hugged to my chest. Jake's hand is still in mine. Everyone stares at the pulsing ball of pure light I clutch to my chest.

"Astonishing!" Uqzhaal gasps. "I didn't think you had a chance of—I mean...well done!"

Jake grins, clapping me on the back. "Stick around, Jumanji! Nothing's impossible for this lady here."

I smile weakly back at him, then I look around for Quinn. I find her in a secluded corner of the hall, cacooned in blankets, Seraxa standing guard over her.

"...We have the Heart. What now?"

Uqzhaal delicately takes the Heart from me and hobbles over to Quinn. It's pulses grow stronger on the shaman places it beside her head.

"Now we wait. And hope." He bows his head in prayer. After a moment of hesitation, Seraxa does the same. I sigh and turn away, going to place the Cygnus idol with the others. After the battle, Varyyn charged me with guarding them, letting me put them back into my backpack. Seven down. ...Five left. Scattered over the island.

"I think I'm gonna need some fresh air," Raj mumbles. "Especially after those shenanigans."

"Pair that with a drink or three, and you've got yourself a partner," Jake says.

Everyone begins to file out of the throneroom. Zahra hesitates, looking at Quinn. Craig notices her hanging back.

"Yo, 404. Servers go down or something?" She doesn't answer. "...Come on, Z. You haven't made fun of me in, like, five minutes. Or maybe you're just too lame to think of a good burn!"

Zahra still doesn't answer. She turns away, her expression twisted with pain. She stalks out of the throneroom.

"...I...think we should follow her," I murmur uncertainly. Craig nods, and we cautiously follow Zahra out.

We catch up to her at the opposite end of an adjoining catwalk. She leans against the railing, her gaze falling to the sandy beach below. Craig hangs back.

"...What did I do?" he whispers to me. "She's never like this..."

"Why not go talk to her? I mean, actually talk. About what's on her mind."

"I dunno. I dunno if she wants things to get...real like that. At least, not with me."

"Trust me, Craig. She needs you right now. Someone who knows her."

He sighs. "You're right, girl-bro. I'm being a wimp." He wanders over to Zahra and sits awkwardly beside her. Craig clears his throat. "Uh. So...that was pretty wild back there, huh?"

"Go away," Zahra mumbles.

"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say. Thing is, I-"

"It's not fair."

"...Huh? What's not fair?"

"All of this!" she cries. "Quinn's only ever been kind, and generous, and giving! She's so freaking perfect and pure, it's annoying! And look what happened to her! Look at her luck! And then there's me. Why am _I_ still alive?!"

"C'mon. You're not all bad. I mean, I saw you pet a puppy once..."

"I'm a jerk to everyone, and you know it, Craig."

"...Okay, yeah. That was after you fed it a snail."

"People like her shouldn't be struck down by life while people like me coast by!" She sighs miserably. "When the rules are rigged, you walk away. That's how I've always played."

They both fall silent. I glance up and see Taari leaning out of a nearby window. Spotting us below, he disappears. A moment later, he comes bounding up to them and wraps his arms around Zahra, giggling.

"Zah-ra!"

She stiffens in surprise. "What the-"

Craig grins. "Little brat."

"I missed you!" Taari declares. Zahra awkwardly pats his head and sticks out her tongue.

"Bleh. Why don't you go off and play, Squirt?"

"Bye-bye!" He scampers off, waving. Zahra watches him go, bemused.

"...At least there's one person whose life I bring _joy_ into..."

"More than one," Craig murmurs.

"What?"

"Yup. I think that shaman dude has the hots for you." Zahra snorts with laughter, and playfully shoves him. "Careful, noob. You don't wanna go 1-v-1 with me! ...But seriously, look. Life isn't fair. But that doesn't mean it's rigged. It's like an RPG. You can level yourself up as much as you want. But in the end, some things come down to a dice roll. In football, you can train hard, come in with a rock-solid gameplan...then the ball bounces the wrong way, and it's all over. But is that gonna stop you from playing the game?"

"...Hell no."

"And if your luck goes south in _Gods and Warlords,_ what do you do?"

She draws in a deep breath. "You prepare for the worst...make the most of your chances...and work your ass off to keep you team together."

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about." Craig and Zahra launch into a complicated, multi-step fistbump-handshake combo. "...Heh. Haven't done that in a while."

"You still remember it..."

"Come on, Z. Of course I remember it."

They sit quietly side by side for awhile, looking up at the moon. Zahra lays her head on Craig's shoulder. I smile. Mission accomplished. Confident that they have things under control, I move back toward the throneroom. I may join Raj and Jake for a few drinks in a moment, but first I want to check on Quinn.

But when I return, the throneroom is empty. Quinn is nowhere in sight. Neither are Uqzhaal or Seraxa.

"...Hello?" Uqzhaal peaks out from behind the throne, looking at me with wide, fearful eyes.

"Catalyst! Run! Save yourself!"

"What?" I whip around to see a hovering figure descending from the darkness above. My heart stops.

Quinn is hovering before me, her copper hair stirred by some unseen force, her sapphire eyes glowing an unearthy green.

"Where is it?" she snarls. Her voice is not her own. It's soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, all at once. It sends a shockwave through my body, and I fall to my knees.

"Oh, god...Quinn? W-where's what?"

Quinn cradles the shining Island's Heart in her hands. "The other half," she hisses. "What have you done with the rest of me?"


	8. The Valinorim

Quinn's voice feels like the weight of an ocean pressing down on me, almost forcing me flat against the wooden floor. I force my eyes upward to look at her.

"The other half..." she snarls. "Where...is...it...?"

"Qu-Quinn...I don't know! I-"

She spreads her arms, sending out a shockwave that rocks the throneroom.

"WHERE?!"

Uqzhaal cowers behind the throne, trembling. "This isn't your friend anymore, Catalyst! You must save yourself!"

Quinn floats towards me. The air around her shimmers like asphalt on a hot day. I grit my teeth and climb to my feet, staggering toward her with my hand outstretched.

"No! What are you doing?!" Uqzhaal cries.

I ignore him. "Please, Quinn...I don't know what's going on...but I know you're in there somewhere. Can you hear me? Quinn?"

Quinn stops. She looks down at her own hands, her voice somehow echoed by a low rumble, like the churning of ancient mountains. "...Who...is this...?"

"Run, you fool!" the shaman cries.

"No! I'm not leaving you, Quinn! Not like this!" I stretch out a trembling hand to touch her cheek. As soon as my skin brushes hers, she freezes. Her gleaming emerald eyes meet mine. Then she blinks, and the gaze that holds mine is sapphire again. Abruptly, she pitches forward into my arms. I lower her gently to the floor, cradling her on my lap. Her eyes flutter.

"Alodia...?"

"Quinn! Are you okay?"

"Wh-what happened? What's going on?"

"...You don't remember?"

"I...remember sitting outside with you, talking. And then..." She looks around, bewildered. "...How did I get here...?"

"You passed out. Fell into a coma. Michelle said it was the final phase of your Rotterdam's."

"But how am I here then?"

"...Did you think I was going to give up on you?" I smile weakly. "I couldn't. So...we drank this spirit sap from the tree and went on a journey through space and time."

She blinks up at me. "...Come again?"

I make a face. "It's...a long story. But we found it. The Island's Heart. The only thing that could save you. Uqzhaal took it and did his ritual and..."

"...You brought me back. I...how much time do I have left now?"

"That is no longer the question," Uqzhaal declares. "The disease has been shed."

Quinn sits up slowly. "...Shed...?"

"Like a dead, unneeded leaf. You are cured, Delphinus."

Quinn draws in a shuddering breath. She wraps her arms around me and pulls me close. I clutch her in my arms.

"I'm cured? I don't know how to thank you..."

"Oh, Quinn...I'm so glad you're back. We thought we'd lost you..."

"They were all quite worried about you," Uqzhaal confirms.

Quinn snuggles against my shoulder. "But...there's no need to worry anymore!"

I bite my lip. "Quinn...about that..." Uqzhaal catches my eye behind her back and puts a finger to his lips.

"Perhaps we needn't trouble her with such trifles while she still needs to recover."

"...You're right. It can wait."

Quinn pulls back to look in my eyes. "...Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Honestly, yes. There's a lot. But until we know more, there's nothing we can do. And it matters more that you focus on recovery."

"...All right. I trust you. I know you'll tell me when the time is right. I think I would like to take a walk now. I need a little fresh air."

"Of course. Go ahead. I'll catch up in a bit."

I help her stand, though she doesn't really need it. She walks out of the throneroom with a dreamy expression on her face, gazing around at the world outside. I turn to the shaman, who is bending to pick something off the floor.

"What's that?"

"It's the Island's Heart. So _this_ is what it truly looks like." I look at the object in his hands. A large, multifaceted jewel-like thing, glittering with impossible colors. It looks like a bite has been taken out of it.

"...What happened to it?"

"Perhaps it has adjusted to our plane of existence. Its glow may have faded, but you can still sense its power." He places the spherical geode in my hands. I feel its energy humming through me, like a muted verison of the shockwave Quinn sent out.

"No, I mean, it looks broken. Like half of it's missing."

"Very strange indeed. If this is only a fragment of such a power...imagine what a complete one could do."

"Uqzhaal, what was that back there? I don't like hiding things from Quinn."

"I understand, of course, but it is the right thing to do. She must re-establish her connection to life. To burden her with something so unknown, it could do more harm than you know."

"So you don't know what happened?"

"Not entirely."

"That isn't comforting."

"When the Heart restored your friend, it did so by filling her with its energy. Perhaps some of its spirit, its soul, now resides in her as well."

"You're telling me Quinn is being controlled by...what? The spirit of the island?"

"Not controlled. Inhabited. It lives within her now. Like a passenger."

"Or a parasite," I mutter.

"Indeed."

"Uqzhaal...is she safe? Will she be okay? Or is this thing going to take control of her again?"

"I do not know. Nowhere in the ancient texts does it say the Heart has been used in this way before. It is truly a remarkable story. Perhaps the key to unlocking the island's true power."

"I don't care about the story!" I snap. "I care about Quinn! I just want to know if she is going to be safe!"

"I am sorry, Catalyst. I do not have the answers you seek. No one does." He comes to put a hand on my shoulder. "Know that you and she both have been granted the most precious gift you could ever ask for: time. And know that every gift, in the end, comes with a price." With a nod, he turns and hobbles around the throneroom, absently tidying it up. Bewildered, I wander numbly out into Elyys'tel.

I step out onto the platform to find my friends gathered around Quinn. As soon at they see me, they start cheering.

"Alodia, we did it!" Raj cries. "We saved Quinn!"

"And all it took was a lil' trip through Time and Relative Dimension in Space!" Diego says with a grin.

"When we get back, I am _so_ publishing this in a medical journal," Michelle declares.

"Curing Rotterdam's Syndrome in an hour?" Aleister remarks. "Let's see my father do that!"

Grace scoops Quinn up in a huge hug. "I'm just so happy you're okay!"

Quinn smiles, still looking a little bemused. "I'm sorry I gave you all such a scare."

Varyyn approaches with Seraxa beside him, looking pleased. "Truly, this is a blessing. It touches me to see all of you so happy. There has been more than enough pain in this city." As Varyyn's eyes fall, Diego puts a hand on the his shoulder. The elyyshar looks up again. "Now, we can begin the Valinorim."

"Yeah! The Valinorim!" Raj cheers. "...What's that?"

"One of our oldest rituals. After the coronation of a new elyyshar, we celebrate with a day of feasts, games, and drinks."

"You had me at drinks!" Jake says enthusiastically.

Seraxa snorts. "Only fools waste the Valinorim intoxicated. For the strong-willed, it is a day of fierce competition and the pwning of noobs!"

A startled silence falls over the group as we stare at Seraxa.

"Uh...what did you just say?" I ask.

"Did I mistranslate? I thought I heard Zahra say that earlier."

"Damn right I did!" Zahra declares.

"Most of my people will be gathering down at the beach," Varyyn says. "Come! Let us join them."

Everyone makes a rush for the intact elevators. I start to follow, but then I spot Quinn pacing alone toward a bridge. She looks melancholy. I follow after her to the bridge where she fell into a coma just a little over an hour ago. I sidle up beside her.

"Hey."

"...Hi."

"Gonna head down to the games?"

"Yeah. In a minute. I just...need a moment to collect my thoughts."

"I don't blame you. You've been through a lot."

She sighs. "It's not just that. It's trying to figure out who I even am. ...My whole life has been defined by my illness. Every moment, every choice, it's always been there, in the background of my mind. I'm Quinn, the Dying Girl. That's who I've always been. Even if I never told anybody, all because I wanted it to never define me...somehow it still defined me to myself..."

"You were always more than that, Quinn."

She shrugs. "Sure, I found ways to cope. To be happy. To live. But I always knew that my time was limited. That I'd never get to grow old. I'd never get married, or have children, or a career...I accepted all of that, Alodia. I'd come to terms with it. And now, just like that, it's all fixed? Poof, all cured, all better? I know it's weird, but...I just don't know how to accept that."

I am quiet for a moment. "...It's okay to feel sad," I say at last.

"...It is?"

"Sure. I mean, in a way, I think it's fine for you to mourn. Someone did die back there, Quinn. The old you. The sick you. The person you've been your whole life is gone. You've been reborn. Given another chance. Granted an opportunity to be someone new. That's something to be happy about...but you can be sad about the other you, too. Everything takes adjustment."

She smiles weakly at me. "Thanks. ...I didn't think anyone would really understand..."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "You ready to check out the festival?"

"Well, when I was sick, I always tried to live life to the fullest. That's one thing about me that will never change." She grins. "Let's go."

On the beach at the base of the tree, long tables laid with trays of fruit and meat have been set up in the sand. All around us, Vaanti mingle and play games. A band plays beautiful jigs and reels on flutes and drums. Children and couples dance in the sand. Quinn laughs.

"I can't believe we ever thought they were our enemies."

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy they're not."

"Any sign of our human friends?"

I look around. Diego, Varyyn, Craig, and Michelle wade into the surf holding sparring staffs. Raj sits at a long wooden table, huge plates of food in front of him. Aleister, Grace, and Zahra are huddled by the edge of the jungle with Uqzhaal and Taari. I wander over to Diego, who stands in waist deep water, where a dozen narrow wooden posts stick straight out of the tide in a cluster. As I join the spectators, Varyyn helps Diego up onto one of the posts, where he balances precariously.

"So, we're really doing this?" he asks nervously. "This is really happening?"

Craig, balancing on one of the other poles, whips his staff around wildly.

"Let's do this, bro! I am all about this American Gladiators shizz!"

"Careful, you giant oaf!" Michelle cries. "You almost hit _me_ with that!"

"Sorry, Meech! The Craig Train don't stop for nobody!"

"That sounds like a pretty ineffective train," Diego quips.

Varyyn raises a hand, and the spectators go quiet.

"Friends! Guests! Citizens of Elyys'tel! I welcome you to this Valinorim, this great celebration of our tribe, our city, and our heritage, dedicated to my mother's memory. Since the ancient times, the Vaanti of Elyys'tel have celebrated with games to prove our skills...show our strength, test our minds, and come together as one! Games make us smile. Games make us weep. And games bring us together as a people!" A cheer goes up from the spectators. Varyyn grins wryly. "Now then. Shall we begin?"

"Um...what are the rules here?" Michelle asks.

"If you fall in the water, you are out. When both members are eliminated, the team is defeated. There are no other rules." He twirls his staff gracefully, assuming a low combat stance.

"Uh...is it too late to switch teams?" Craig asks.

A nearby Vaanti blows a horn. With a sharp hiss, Varyyn leaps onto another post, swinging his staff. Michelle barely blocks it.

"Nice try!"

Craig bellows and charges, jabbing wildly at Varyyn. Varyyn dodges, but he's driven back.

"Craig!" Michelle shouts. "Focus on Diego! He's the weak link!"

"You don't have to say it!" Diego cries indignantly.

Varyyn deflects a thrust from Craig and spins gracefully on the pole, slamming his staff into the back of Craig's calf. He yelps. Michelle tears at Diego. He jumps to the side to dodge, barely balancing on a post.

"I regret everything!" he cries. "Allie, wanna take my place?"

"You got this, guys!" I shout. "Go Team Variego!"

The spectators follow my lead, chanting, "Varieeeeeeeeeeego! Varieeeeeeeeeeego!"

Diego laughs. "Thanks, Allie! I feel like Rudy right now!"

" 'Variego'!" Varyyn says with a smile. "I like that sound!"

"I don't!" Michelle says indignantly. She charges at Diego, but he hops out of her way. He and Varyyn balance together on one pole, barely wide enough for both of them, their backs pressed together. Diego grins.

"Back to back, surrounded by enemies, fighting as one..."

"Like...Darth Vader and Three-pee-oh?"

Diego chuckles. "No. No, that's very wrong...but I appreciate the effort."

"Come on, Meech! Let's finish 'em!"

Michelle lets out a frustrated cry. "For the last time! Don't...call...me...Meech!"

They charge forward, but Diego and Varyyn move as one, Diego more graceful than I've ever seen him outside of the water. He's always been an extraordinarily graceful swimmer, but I've never seen him move like he is now, as if he and Varyyn are a pair of choreographed dancers. They block the attackers' strikes and send them stumbling back. Diego swings his staff, sweeping Michelle's legs and sending her tumbling off the edge of the post into the water. A moment later, Varyyn nails Craig in the chest with a double kick. The crowd roars in approval.

"Victory is ours!" Varyyn declares.

"Are you not entertained?!" Diego cries, laughing. "Are you not entertained?!"

"I...do not understand. Do the cheers not suggest that they are entertained?"

Diego just grins and grasps Varyyn's hand, raising it up in triumph. A smile passes between the two of them.

Craig stands up, shaking seawater out of his hair. "Rematch! Rematch! Rematch!"

Michelle spits out a salty mouthful. "Speak for yourself, you big lug. I'm hitting the bar."

Diego climbs carefully down and wades back up to the beach, where I tackle him in a hug.

"Oh, my god, that was amazing! What have you been doing for six months that you learned to move like that?!"

Diego blushes a little, grinning. "Oh, you know...this and that. You wanna have a go? You'd probably kill at it."

"The aim is not to kill!" Varyyn exclaims, coming up beside us.

"No, no, I meant that she would be good at it. She used to be a gymnast."

"...I do not think I know that word."

"It's a person who does gymnastics," I explain. "A sort of...athletic dance, meant to show off strength, flexibility, and agility. I would compete in games like this, performing tricks. My specialty was the balance beam."

"It does sound as if you would be very good at this game. Perhaps you would like to try."

"Maybe later. Right now, I'm pretty hungry."

"Me too!" Diego declares. "And the food smells delicious."

"Well, you must eat, then." Varyyn smiles. "Eat as much as you like. This is a celebration."

Diego and I wander over to the tables, collecting plates and sitting beside Raj, who appears to be engaged in an eating contest with an elephant-masked Vaanti, who jams loaf after loaf of bread under his mask.

"Ohhh, boy," Raj groans. "I'm starting to feel not-so-good."

"Looks like you're holding the fort over here," I remark.

"Nope! We got trouble, Alodia! Big trouble!"

"Um...what?"

"Okay, so we kinda maybe sorta challenged them to a humans versus Vaanti table challenge..."

"...Whose 'we'?" Diego asks.

"...Lila was handling the drinking challege part. She, uh...well...see for yourself." He jerks his head back at Lila, who lays sprawled on her back in the sand, mumbling to herself.

"And whyyyyyyyyy do they call them coconuts..." she slurs. "They're not nuts...they're...they're...ohmigod...are they nuts?"

"I'm down half my team, and Dumbo over there is unstoppable!"

"Come!" the Vaanti calls. "The next dish is my favorite!" He pulls off the top of a bowl, revealing a pile of squirming red grubs. Raj shakes his head.

"I can't do it, guys! I'm calling it for Team Human!"

I laugh. "Come on, Raj, you got this! If you want to win, you just gotta make a big show of it."

"What do you mean?"

I lower my voice to a whisper. "He's trying to get into your head. Psych you out." I nod at the Vaanti, who is squeezing one of the biggest bugs, murmuring appreciatively.

"Mmm...so juicy and thick."

"He is kinda hamming it up," Raj admits.

"So ham it right back! Show them their tricks don't work! Rattle them twice as hard as they're rattling you!"

"Yeah...Yeah! I can do that! Thanks!"

He turns back and digs both hands into the bowl. Diego makes a surprised noise beside me. Even the Vaanti looks startled.

"Are you really going to eat them?!"

"You bet! Gross-out grubs are my favorite! A Catalyst delicacy!" He pops one into his mouth and bites it in half, spraying gooey blue juice all over the Vaanti. "Hakuna matata, son!"

"I...I yield!" the Vaanti cries. His friends tease and jeer, some of them coming to pat Raj on the back.

"You make a good coach, Alodia," Raj says.

I grin. "Happy to help."

"Want a grub? They're actually pretty good."

"Not in a million years."

"Hey, guys!" Grace hurries over to us, grinning. "Want to join in the scavenger hunt? We could use a few extra heads."

"Count me in," I say. "Diego? Raj?"

"I'm actually thinking I might check out the music," Diego says.

"And I think I'd better get Lila somewhere she can sleep off the drinks," Raj says. "I feel responsible and all..."

"Guess it's just me, then." I head off to join her at the jungle brush at the edge of the beach.

"Okay, our team is you, me, Aleister, Zahra, Uqzhaal, and Taari. We've gathered three clues so far," she says, holding out three stones. "And here's the one we're working on."

"Never gonna solve it!" Taari sings. "Never gonna solve it!"

Uqzhaal nudges him with his staff. "Hush, child. Let the Catalysts play."

"As irritating as the brat is," Aleister says, "He does have a point. I'm less than chuffed about our prospects. I fear we are rather behind the other team. We have three clues out of..."

"Seventy-nine," Uqzhaal finishes.

"Right. Because you hate me," Zahra mutters.

"Now, Zahra, this is a fine way to pass the day."

"You're just saying that because you've spent the whole time blowing kisses at your new girlfriend!"

"Aww, but he's so cute when he does it!" Aleister pecks Grace on the forehead, and Zahra retches theatrically.

"What riddle are you on?"

Uqzhaal takes one of the stones from Grace, and translates the clue inscribed on it: "Always at home, even when on the go. Strong and tenacious, mindful and slow."

I blink. "...The ancient Vaanti riddle rhymes in English?"

"I may have adapted it," Uqzhaal says, waving his hand dismissively. "The translation would have been fairly clunky otherwise. No elegance."

"...I'm guessing it's either a snail or a turtle."

"Well, a snail's shell would probably not be big enough to hold the next clue," Grace muses. "So I'm going to go with turtle. But where would we find one? Should we search for nests by the beach?"

"Wait, didn't we walk by an empty turtle shell ten minutes ago?" Zahra says. "Back by the river?"

"I think that does make more sense," Aleister concedes.

Taari grabs Grace by the hand. "Come on! Let's go!" He leads us back to the river, where Zahra makes a beeline for the empty turtle shell on the water's edge. We all follow her, and then stop, eyeing the shell uncertainly.

"...Anyone wanna reach into that thing and see if there's a clue in there?"

"If no one else will, I volunteer," Aleister says. He grimaces. "Just...give me a moment..."

While he hesitates, though, Grace runs over and jams her hand in. She pulls out another polished stone. "Got it, you big babies!"

I glance over at Zahra, expecting a clever quip. But she's staring into space, frowning.

"Zahra? What's wrong?"

"...I don't know...I just feel...weird suddenly..."

"Weird how? Are you sick?"

She doesn't respond immediately. She hunkers down near the side of the creek, and peers in. I come to look over her shoulder, and as the current disturbs the river bed, I see a glint of amber. My stomach starts to bubble reflexively. Then the silt settles again, and the amber vanishes from view.

"Did you see that?" Zahra gasps. "I...I think there's something down there!"

"I think you're right." I reach into the rushing creek. As if drawn by the idol's power, my fingers find it almost immediately. I give a sharp tug and pull it from the riverbed, the amber-carved figure of a woman with a crow's head and wings covering her back, seated with her chin perched thoughtfully on her hand.

"By the Endless!" Uqzhaal exclaims. "A vaalta!"

"Woah..." Zahra marvels at the figure, tentatively reaching for it. I suck in my breath, bracing myself...

… _Hartfeld campus again, in a dorm room. Zahra slumps over her computer, a bottle of Mountain Dew in one hand, typing furiously with the other. She speaks into the microphone on her headset._

 _"Come on, come on! We've got maybe two minutes until Mammon's backup generators kick in and the firewalls go back online!"_

 _Messages display on the screen, a frantic chat._

 _AZRA3L: working on it, lich-queen! I'm trying to flood the local power grid now._

 _CYBERPINK: i'm almost in their personal accts. Running brute force compiler on the psswrd prompt._

 _"No!" Zahra hisses. "That'll take too long! Streamline it with an alpha-numeric de-analyzer!"_

 _CYBERPINK: Good call. Streamlining._

 _AZRA3L: i've done all I can. We got 1 min maybe._

 _CYBERPINK: almost got it. I'M IN!_

 _"Grab the files! Now!"_

 _CYBERPINK: omg, this is everything. Finances, discrimination suits, offshore accts._

 _AZRA3L: we really hacked Mammon Financial!_

 _"Wall Street's never gonna know what hit it. Now we just need to-"_

 _The door swings open. Zahra slams her laptop shut with a yelp._

 _"Looking at those dirty tumblrs again?" Craig teases, grinning. "I already told you I'm cool with it."_

 _"Craig! Is it so hard to knock before barging in here?!"_

 _"Seriously? Since when do I..." he trails off. "...You got a haircut."_

 _Zahra raises a hand to touch a shaved portion of her head. "Oh. Yeah. You like it?"_

 _"It's...uh...different."_

 _"Yeah. I know. Kinda the point."_

 _"I just...I mean...it's..." He shakes his head. "Never mind. ...You excited for the after-party tonight? It's gonna be killer..."_

 _"Craig, for the tenth time, I'm not going to any more football team parties with you."_

 _"...Why not?"_

 _"Because they're loud and gross and the only thing to drink is cheap beer! And you always end up getting drunk and flirty with some random girl anyway!"_

 _"That was one time! And she was the one coming on to me!"_

 _"Yeah, well, whatever. I'm staying here. I've got stuff I need to do."_

 _"Zahra...I know you don't love these parties...but my team matters to me. Are you ever gonna do anything I care about?"_

 _"Spare me the guilty puppy routine, Craig. It doesn't suit you."_

 _Craig sighs dejectedly and turns away. As he reaches for the door, he mumbles under his breath, "Sometimes I don't think you care about anybody except yourself."_

 _Zahra opens her mouth to respond, then decides to pretend she didn't hear..._

 _… I rocket forward in time, into Rourke's office at The Celestial. Zahra sits behind the desk, twirling a stylus between the fingers of her left hand while idly browsing through several holographic monitors. The doors slide open, and Everett Rourke strolls in. There is a bit more gray in his hair than I remember, but he looks as slick as ever._

 _"Security Chief Namazi."_

 _"Yes, sir?"_

 _"How is it going?"_

 _"All sectors are secure and operational, sir."_

 _Her fingers dance over the keyboard, changing the images on the screens. One shows a mining facility extracting glowing crystals from a deep trench. Another shows the burnt husk of what is recognizable as Elyys'tel. A third shows the courtyard of The Celestial, patroled by strange, masked soldiers. The fourth shows a jail cell. Whatever consciousness I have here recoils in horror._

 _Jake, his wrists shackled, glares up at the camera. "Hey! Phony Stark! You watching? You tuned into the Jake Channel? Ain't nothing better on?" He holds up his middle finger. "I ain't gonna dance for you! I ain't never gonna be one of your lackeys! Never! But if you're looking for some entertainment, how about you and me, outside, no guns? I'll give you a show, you piece of-"_

 _"Remarkable," Rourke muses. "That man's been in that cell, what...four years?"_

 _"Five."_

 _"And he's still going. He's got grit, I'll give him that. He could've been quite something. A man of his talents could've carved out a piece of this new world for himself. I suppose he could have taken a cue from you, Namazi."_

 _"Yes, sir. He should've."_

 _"Anything else I should know about?"_

 _"Nope. You have a good night, sir."_

 _"You know what? I will." He walks back to the door. But when he swipes, it doesn't open. "Hmm. That's odd."_

 _"I guess there is one more thing I should tell you." She reaches under the desk, pulls out a snub-nosed revolver, and levels it at Rourke's chest. "You're a dead man."_

 _Rourke slowly turns back to her, smirking. "...Now this is interesting."_

 _"You ain't seen nothing yet. With just one tap of a button..." with her free hand, Zahra taps a button on the keyboard, "...I'm going to take everything from you."_

 _A siren howls as the lights flicker red. A chorus of shouting and screaming arises from below, floating through the floors and windows. Rourke's smirk fades. There is real alarm in his eyes._

 _"...What did you just do?"_

 _"I initiated a little program I've been working on. I call it the Lich Queen's Revenge. I just opened every jail cell in your compound. Deleted every single piece of research you've ever gathered. Blew out the power in all your facilities. Fried your mining stations beyond repair. Blinded your security forces. Oh, and I let the tiger out in your museum. I'm thinking he'll make a bit of a mess."_

 _"...You're lying."_

 _"Not at all." She narrows her eyes, her voice low and dangerous. "It took me five years to get into your systems. Five years of groveling and scraping, five years of pretending I worked for you. Five years. And now I'm done. I've ruined you. And now you'll die here. Broken. Beaten. Alone."_

 _"No..." Rourke says. "Not alone."_

 _His hand whips up, and a long, curved dagger streaks through the air, the blade burying itself in Zahra's chest. She chokes and staggers backward, reflexively squeezing the trigger. The gun blasts once, twice, thrice. Rourke slumps against the wall, three bloody holes in his chest._

 _"You...shot me...you psychotic...bitch...you shot me..."_

 _Zahra goes to her knees, clutching the hilt of the dagger in her breast. "You...stabbed me. But...at least, I get to watch...you die...That's...good enough...for me..."_

 _She curls on the floor, blood pooling beneath her. She does not try to fight for her life. She has accomplished her mission. Rourke's breath grows uneven as he slowly bleeds out on the other side of the room._

 _"...Why...?" Rourke asks. "...Why would you...do this...? I gave...you...everything. Money... power...influence...you've throne it all away...for...what...?"_

 _Zahra's eyes flutter. Blood trickles between her lips. Her hands go limp, fiingers uncurling from the dagger's hilt._

 _"For...Craig. You son of a bitch." …_

 _…_ My breath rushes out as if I've been punched in the gut as I return to the present. Zahra frowns.

"You okay, Alodia?"

I am quiet a moment. "...Yeah. I...just..." I smile weakly at her. "Just...remind me never to piss you off, okay?"

She claps my shoulder, grinning. "Hey, Alodia? Never ever piss me off."

"We have discovered another vaalta!" Uqzhaal says brightly. "This is cause for celebration!"

"It's cause for something, all right," I murmur.

"Come on!" Grace says. "We've got seventy-five clues yet to find!"

"Coming!" Aleister calls.

The others take off with Uqzhaal and Taari, but I'm no longer in the mood for hunting clues. I wander back towards Elyys'tel. The city is mostly deserted, with everyone on the beach for the celebration. I make my way up to the throneroom where I've stashed my backpack and tuck the idol into it.

After a moment, I pull them out, one by one, and set them up all in a row. Pavo. Aquila. Canis. Centauris. Delphinus. Andromeda. Cygnus. Corvus. Michelle, Sean, Diego, Raj, Quinn, myself, Grace, Zahra. ...I don't know yet exactly what purpose these idols have, with regards to the island, or to the Endless. But it is clear they have power. ...It is also clear that I am the only one being granted these visions. Perhaps that is for the best. I don't think I can bear to tell anyone what I'm seeing. Not even Diego. It was one thing to tell him that he was being watched. ...But to tell him I've seen him gunned down in a cold, sterile lab? ...To tell him that I've seen myself burying him and all our friends, the last of us left alive? I don't think I could do it. Not yet. ...But I know one thing for certain. I will _not_ let it happen. I'll save him. I'll save all of them. Just like I saved Quinn.

I suddenly can't bear to be parted from my friends. I practically run back down to the beach. Once there, I spot Sean down by the tide with a few of the others plus Seraxa and Varyyn, examining a set of several windsurfing rigs resting on the sand.

"Hey, what are these for?"

"Our sailboards," Seraxa explains. "We use them to compete in quuk'tanoi."

"In your language," Varyyn says. "I believe the words would be...'wind disc'."

"Wind Disc, eh?" I remark as I approach.

Diego turns to smile at me. "Oh, yeah. I've seen 'em play. It's wild. They're crazy good at it. Think Ultimate Frisbee while windsurfing."

"Okay," Sean says. "You've got my attention."

"Mine, too," Jake agrees. "Let's take 'em for a spin."

"You people? Playing quuk'tanoi?" Seraxa scoffs. "Ha!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Something funny, Seraxa?"

"This game is only for those with the fierce will and honed senses of the Vaanti."

"Sounding mighty cocky there, She-Hulk," Jake drawls.

"Only when I have every reason to be, He Who Needs a Haircut."

"...Did you just try to give me a nickname?"

"Our warriors must prove their dexterity, agility, and cunning in this game. Only then do they earn their mask," Varyyn explains.

"But if you still dare to challenge us, I would relish the chance to...educate you in your shortcomings."

Sean grins over at me and Jake. "Should we take 'em on, guys?"

"I'm in," Jake says. "How about you, Princess?"

"You know, the three of us took on Cetus in a speedboat with a flare gun and a plastic bomb. I'd say we make quite the dream team. Let's do it."

I hold up both my hands for them to high-five. As Sean and Jake strip off their shirts and shoes, Varyyn picks up a thin, flat ring of wood, about the size of a dinner plate.

"The rules are simple. Three players to a side, each on their own sailboard. The objective is to throw the wind-disc into the opponent's Column of Light."

"Column of—wait, do you mean those rickety old buoys floating out there?" Jake points toward a pair of rusted metal weather buoys bobbing in the waves, about a hundred yards apart. Atop each, a red lightbulb pulses slowly.

"Indeed."

"So it's like high-speed horseshoe," Sean says. "I follow."

"Defenders will try to flip your sailboard. Or block your shots with their sails," Seraxa says.

"You must pass the ring to each other to evade the opponents' defense," Varyyn adds.

"Wait...you said it's three-on-three. But there are only two of you."

"Hmm, I suppose we do need a third," Varyyn concedes. He looks past us and smiles. I turn to see Uqzhaal hobbling slowly down the beach on with his cane. "Shaman! Did you give up on the scavenger hunt already?"

He smiles. "The Catalysts told me in no uncertain terms that my help was rather irritating."

"Would you care to join us for quuk'tanoi?"

The old shaman cracks his back and waddles over to us. "Well, if you need a third, I suppose so."

"Seriously?" Jake asks. "The old man?"

"I do not mind the handicap," Seraxa says primly. "It makes your inevitable defeat all the more painful."

"All right, you can have it your way," Sean says.

I push my sailboard into the tide and hop on. It wobbles under my feet, but I find my center quickly and maintain my balance.

"Look at you, Alodia!" Sean says brightly. "Already a pro!"

"How are you doing that?" Jake asks, struggling to find his balance.

I chuckle. "Step your game up, Top Gun! We've got a game to win!"

"Let the game begin!" Varyyn says. "Alodia, as honored guests, your team may start with the Wind Disc." He tosses me the thin wooden ring.

"All right! Bring it on!" Sean says.

I sail forward, catching the wind. I am just getting used to steering the board with my weight, when Seraxa suddenly rams my board with hers. I struggle to keep my balance.

"I suggest you forfeit now, with what little dignity you have left!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that!" Jake snaps.

I throw the disc to Sean, but Varyyn sweeps through its path. He scales his mast and snatches the disc high out of the air.

"This guy's got ups!" Sean shouts. "Back on defense!"

I turn my sailboard around, trying to block as Seraxa and Varyyn pass the disc back and forth with impressive form. Seraxa blasts past me and easily throws the disc onto the post at the top of our buoy.

"1-0. Couldn't be easier."

"Why all the attitude, Seraxa?" I call in a voice dripping with false honey. "Are you mad Taari likes us more than you?"

Jake bursts out laughing, but Sean gives me a reproachful look. "Geez, Alodia. You really went for the jugular there."

We start again with the disc. I successfully pass to Sean, who passes to Jake.

"Comin' back at ya, Q.B.!" But Seraxa intercepts the pass this time, scooping it up in her sail. The disc rolls along her canvas and straight into her grip.

"Woah!" Sean exclaims. "I gotta learn how to do that!"

Seraxa flicks it back to Uqzhaal, whose sailboard putters along slowly.

"Close in on Grandpa!" Jake shouts. The three of us encircle the shaman, only to have him put the ring on the end of his staff and spin it, gaining momentum until he flicks it away. The disc flies far overhead, floating an incredible distance before delicately alighting on our buoy. The three of us stare at him in astonishment.

Varyyn grins. "Perhaps we forgot to mention that in his youth, Uqzhaal was the greatest quuk'tanoi player in Vaanti history."

"2-0," the shaman says blithely. "All fall to Uqzhaal."

"All right, guys, they're one point away from the win." Sean says. "It's comeback time!"

"Either of you got any bright ideas?" Jake asks.

"Yeah. Jake, block for me." I cut my sailboard across the sea, darting away from a pursuing Varyyn. "I'm open!"

Sean flings the disc at me. I catch it, but Uqzhaal is right in front of me.

"I can take that from you, my friend."

"Don't think so, Pops!"

Jake slams his board into Uqzhaal's and the old man topples into the water. Surfacing, he grimaces, clutching his lumbar.

"Oof...my back..."

"Oh, god!" Jake groans. "I'm sorry, dude."

"I think that was 'not cool', Jake," Varyyn says grimly.

"Lemme help you up. Gimme your hand."

Jake reaches for Uqzhaal, who grabs his hand and pulls him into the water with him. The shaman laughs. Jake spits out a mouthful of seawater.

"Alodia, go! You've got a clear shot!"

I race away from Seraxa and lob the disc. It barely snags the buoy for the score.

"2-1! Comeback is on!"

"They won't underestimate us again!" I call. "We need a new gameplan!"

Jake, back on his board, scoops up some seaweed and begins to loop it into a circle. "I've got an idea! Follow my lead!"

Sean and Jake spread out to the flanks, each holding a dark ring.

"Jake has the disc!" Seraxa shouts.

"No, Sean has it!" The Vaanti split up, chasing Sean and Jake, running alongside them and yanking the discs from their grip, but the rings break apart into a wet, stringy mess. Jake grins at Seraxa as the Vaanti put two and two together.

"Surprise!"

By the time they turn around, I've already scored.

"Tie game! Next point wins!"

Seraxa growls in frustration. "I will finish this myself!" She spins and throws the disc straight at me, with all the strength she can muster. I yelp as the disc tears through my sail, leaving its canvas in ribbons.

"Hey!"

"You're not the only one with a trick up her sneeze!"

"It's 'sleeve'!" Jake snaps. "But damn, that was a good move!"

"I can't go anywhere!" I cry. "What do I do?!"

"Hop on with me!" Jake calls. He pulls up beside me and holds out a hand. "We'll tandemn, just like on the glider!" I take his hand and leap over, balancing on the board behind him.

"Thanks for the lift!"

"Whaddya say we win this thing, huh?"

"Let's do it!"

Back by our buoy, Sean is cornered by Uqzhaal and Varyyn, deftly dodging their sweeps. "Need a little help over here!" he calls.

"Hang on! We're coming to bail you out!"

Jake opens up his sail, and we accelerate. I hold onto Jake tightly, feeling the warmth of his chest. He puts his hand on mine as we speed toward Sean. He makes a hard turn, kicking up a huge wake that splashes Varyyn and Uqzhaal in the face. They sputter, spitting out salty water and wiping their eyes. Sean slings a low throw, threading the two Vaanti's sails. Jake snatches it out of the air, making a tight turn and racing toward the other buoy.

"We're almost there!" I cry.

"Yeah, but we've got company!" The Vaanti recover, and all three of them are surrounding us now, slicing in overlapping circles around us.

"You acquitted yourselves well," Varyyn concedes.

"But now it is time to give up!" Seraxa snarls.

"What do we do?" I whisper to Jake. "They're blocking every possible throw! I can't see a thing!"

"We'd have to be twelve feet tall to get a clear shot!"

"...Then let's be twelve feet tall."

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna get on your shoulders. Whatever you do, for the love of god, keep steady." I clench the disc between my teeth, and carefully climb up onto his shoulders.

"Easy! Eaaasy!"

"Applesapplesapples," I mutter. My nerves calm, and I find my balance. "You okay down there, Top Gun?"

"Just dandy! Could do this all damn day!"

I spot the goal buoy. I take a deep breath, balancing on Jake's shoulders. He holds my legs steady. I take the shot.

"No!" Seraxa cries. She leaps up for the disc, but it sails past her fingertips and lands on the buoy. I hear Sean whoop behind me.

"We did it! We won!"

Jake slips on the board and we both topple into the water, where we grasp each other in a jubilant embrace, kissing passionately. Sean sails over, and we reach up and pull him into the water with us. I leap onto his back, pumping a fist in the air.

"It is official!" I shout. "The sea monster hunters are still the dream team!"

The six of us all sail together back to the shore, laughing and joking. Diego runs up to me, taking me in a headlock and ruffling my hair.

"What did I tell you, Varyyn?! Is this girl amazing, or what?!"

"You continue to impress me, Catalyst," Seraxa admits, while Varyyn smiles.

"A deal is a deal," the elyyshar declares. "I said that a young Vaanti warrior must earn their mask in a trial of quuk'tanoi, and you have proven yourselves. Here. Choose your masks. He points to an assortment of masks, already laid out on the beach, presumably by a Vaanti warrior who saw how the game was going. Sean holds a skull mask up to his face, while Jake chooses a wolf. I select a gold-colored full-face mask with an ornate design carved along the edges. I hold it up to my face.

"How do I look?"

"Ooh, fierce!" Jake says. "I like it!"

"The Girl in the Golden Mask," Diego laughs. "Superhero? Master thief? One things for sure, she's an all-around badass!"

I grin, taking off the mask. "Thank you, Varyyn."

The elyyshar smiles at me. "Diego spoke much of your talents and character, but he still managed to undersell you."

I grin at my best friend. "You were talking about me?"

"You're my sister, Allie. You were a topic of discussion once or twice over six months, yes."

I chuckle, looking back down at the elegant mask in my hands. On the inside, an engraving catches my eye: _Rosencraft & Sons, 1921._

"...What's this mean?" I show Varyyn the engraving.

"Our people have long forgotten the meaning of those marks," he replies. "But our ancestors' masks had such symbols on them, thousands upon thousands of years ago. It is tradition to make those marks in a new warrior's mask. ...It...says something in your language?"

"Yeah. ...It's the name of the people who made them. ...And the date."

"They must have been honored craftsmen, to forge the masks of our brave forebears."

A gaggle of Vaanti children race up to Varyyn, chattering, and drag him away. I look back at the copied engraving. ... _1921..._

Sean, Jake, Diego and I wander back over to the long tables, where the others have gathered. Raj sips from a fruity cocktail.

"Guys, let's promise we'll do this again when we're back in the States."

"Absolutely," I agree.

"Maybe even invite some of our new friends," Diego suggests.

"That sounds so fun!" Grace squeals. "I can't wait to show you guys my favorite bookstores!"

"And my favorite brunch spots!" Michelle adds.

"Brunch?" Estela repeats. "I don't think I've ever had brunch."

Michelle gasps. "Oh, my god. You are so coming!"

"...I'm invited?"

"Of course you are, silly!"

"...Thank you."

Sean grins, clapping Jake on the back. "I could score you front-row seats to our bowl game if you want, Jake. Since I know you're such a big fan."

Jake forces a smile. "Heh...Nah..."

"Aw, come on, bro," Craig says. "We'd love to have you."

"That's all right." Seeing the look on his face, I realize what he must be thinking.

"...Guys..." I murmur.

"Come on, Jake," Zahra says. "I know you're too cool for these guys, but so am I, and I'm still hanging out with them."

"So whaddya say? Why not?"

"Because I can't, all right?!" Jake snaps. The group falls silent. Jake turns away, hands on his hips, long hair falling across his face. "I can't go back. I can't ever go back home. I'm a wanted man. The second I set foot on U.S soil, they'll put me in handcuffs and send me to prison for life."

I open my mouth to respond, to add my support to his story, but the words die in my throat as realization hits me. ...Jake doesn't remember telling me his story. When I touched Varyyn's necklace and reset the timeline, that whole conversation was erased. I can't believe I didn't realize it before.

"...You must be joking," Aleister says.

"What did you do?"

"Craig-"

"What? It's not like I'm asking something personal! We gotta trust him, he's gotta trust us!"

Jake sighs. "Drax is right. I oughta tell you the truth. Me and my best friend at the Academy, this guy Mike...both of us got recruited into the U.S covert ops unit running missions in Central Asia. We were wingmates, aiding the Kharzistani rebellion, when Mike discovered something. Our commander, this asshole called Rex Lundgren, was illegally selling weapons to the tyrants we were supposed to be fighting. We were gathering evidence to turn him in, but he found out. Sent us on a standard recon that turned out to be an ambush. Shot out of the sky by the dictator's forces."

"And...your friend Mike?"

"...Didn't make it," Jake confirms softly. "By the time I crawled back from behind enemy lines, MP's were there to arrest me. Lundgren made it look like the illegal arms sales were all me and Mike. I punched the son-of-a-bitch square in the jaw and ran. Ain't never stopped running since. That's why I can never go back to the States. That's why...why I can't even contact my sister. Or tell Mike's family he wasn't a traitor."

Everyone is silent for a long moment. Finally, Sean says, "I'm sorry, man. ...I had no idea..."

"Not looking for a pity party," Jake says. "...Just thought I ought to tell you guys the truth about why I can't join your little shindig."

I feel something stir in my gut. When Jake first told me his story, all I felt was sorrow. Perhaps anger at the asshole who had caused so much suffering. But now I think of everything that has happened since the first time I heard his story, and everything that happened before. Everything he has done for me and the rest of us. And everything all of us have done together. We got Diego back. We saved Quinn's life. We fought off Cetus' attack. A new determination fills me.

"Jake, when this is over, we're going to find a way to bring you home. That's a promise."

"Yeah!" Grace agrees. "We'll find a way, no matter what!"

"Operation Top Gun is a go!" Diego adds.

Jake smiles weakly. "...Thanks, gang. But...don't get your hopes up. Some things, you can't take back."

A rustling noise distracts me from answering. Murphy comes tearing out from the bushes at the end of the beach, yipping. He snatches a small ball in his teeth and scampers off into the jungle. Aleister and Zahra immediately give chase.

"Hey!" Seraxa yelps. "That's ours!"

I laugh. "Murphy, you scamp! Come on, give it back!"

I take off after Aleister and Zahra, pursuing our fox friend through the rainforest. I'm a little ways behind, but their trail isn't exactly hard to follow. I duck under branches, hop over logs and a narrow creek. As I round a corner, into a grove, I stop. Aleister and Zahra have also stopped there, and are staring up at a small concrete bunker.

"...Woah...what's this?"

Aleister shushes me. "Listen!"

I tip my head and listen. At first, I don't hear anything except birds and insects and wind rustling through trees. Then, underneath the sounds of the rainforest comes a soft, electronic tone, like the pure tones audiologists test hearing with.

"What is it?"

"Not sure," Zahra says. "We were hearing it on the Neverending Scavenger Hunt, but we just ignored it then. Now Murphy's led us straight here."

Aleister walks up to the door of the bunker and experimentally tugs the handle. Surprisingly, it swings right open.

"...Anyone else getting a little creeped out?" I murmur.

"You mean more than usual in this place?" Zahra deadpans.

"Yeah. I don't know about Aleister, but I'm getting serious flashbacks to the emergency shelter."

"Thankfully, the sabertooth no longer seems inclined to kill us," Aleister replies.

Murphy padding beside us, the three of us step into a bunker filled with worn-down scientific equipment.

"I think this may connect to the the same tunnels as the emergency shelter," I remark. "There were several buildings on the schematics."

Aleister examines some old papers on a dust-covered desk, while Zahra tinkers with a computer that looks like it comes from the late 1980's.

"I suppose this is one of my father's research outposts," Aleister remarks. "A particularly old one by the look of it. These notes go back at least twenty years."

The soft tone chimes again, and this time, we can see the blue light pulsing weakly on one console. I point.

"Look. That must be where it's coming from." Zahra moves to examine it.

"Power supply's weak," she says. "Signal can barely get through. But I think I can do this..." She reaches into a panel on the computers' side and touches two wires together. The computer boots up with a whirr. Lights flicker all around us, and computer code scrolls by on all the monitors.

"Oh, my god, Zahra!" I exclaim. She grins.

"Voila! We have our very own functional Rourke Industries computer!"

"...Are we sure this is a good thing?"

She shrugs. "I dunno. What do you think is the worst that could hap-"

A blue spotlight shoots down from a fixture overhead, cutting her off. It flickers on the ground, and then forms into a familiar image.

"Iris?!" we all cry together, incredulous.

"Now, don't be frightened," she says.

"Crap! She's back!" Zahra yells.

"Wait!" Iris cries in a voice that is somehow not entirely her own. "Listen to me! There's something I have to tell you!"

Zahra reaches for the hotwired cables to yank them out, but I grab her wrist. "Wait, Zahra!"

"Alodia, are you mad?! That thing is a direct link to my father!" Aleister cries.

"If we're compromised because of her, it's already too late," I point out. "Let's at least see what we can get out of her."

"I know you probably don't trust me," Iris concedes mournfully. Her voice has a soft British lilt to it that I don't remember being there before. "And how could you? ...But I swear I am telling the truth. ...I know how to get you home."

"...What?"

"I know, I know. It sounds positively insane. But I'm not lying. I can get you off this island, back home. All of you."

"Guys, is it me, or does Iris sound kind of...different?"

"It's not just you," I confirm. "Besides that British accent, she sounds a lot more...human than I remember."

"Well, I don't buy it for an instant," Aleister snaps. "I don't care how human she sounds now, with whatever upgrade my father gave her! This is still a trap!"

"Aleister, please. You have to trust me."

"Tell me something, Iris. Why should I possibly trust you?"

"You know why, darling," she says softly.

Aleister freezes. "What do you mean? What do I know?"

"I know you were very young, but isn't there some part of you that still remembers me?"

The color drains from Aleister's face. He staggers back as if Iris struck him.

"It can't be," he whispers, his voice trembling. "You...you're dead..."

"Yes, Aleister. I am." Iris looks at him with something soft and warm in her holographic eyes. "But I am still your mother."


	9. Arachnid

A stunned silence settles over us. Zahra and I step closer to Aleister, flanking him protectively as we watch Iris.

"I know you were very young, Aleister," she says, "but do you not even recognize my voice?"

Aleister's mouth opens and closes, his whole body quivering. "I—your voice is—"

Iris's holographic eyes close. Her lips move, and a sweet melody, sung in a pure, golden mezzo, floats out between her lips. " _...I told my love a story with no end...I gave my love a baby with no crying, and then..."_

"...Mother?" Aleister's voice is almost a whimper. "It's...it's you..."

"Hold up!" Zahra cries. "What in the name of fork-exec is going on here?!"

"You see," Iris says, "I was human once. My name was Imogen. Everett was my husband and Aleister was my son."

"Why didn't you tell us any of this before?" I ask.

"I didn't have access to memories of my former life until very recently. Had I known before, I'd have-" The hologram stutters erratically. Iris seems to be struggling to maintain her composure.

"...Iris? You okay?"

"I don't have much time. I need to tell you how to access the Lernaean Gate. Do you recall the device you used on the rooftop of The Celestial?"

"The portal gun?"

"That gun was an experimental prototype of a far more powerful machine. The Lernaean Gate is an advanced prismatic hyperpermeator housed at a facility to the north."

"Advanced prisma...what?"

"Prismatic hyperpermeator," Zahra informs me. "Pay attention."

"It can safely transport all of you home. Or to another location, should you wish. You'll need to bring the large prism that was activated at the Hostiles' Stronghold last night."

"The Island's Heart? How did you know we..."

"I detected energy levels consistent with the presence of a major crystalline lattice in your vicinity."

"Sounds about right," I remark.

"The Lernaean Gate requires a power source of incredible magnitude. The 'Island's Heart', as you call it, should be sufficient. Bring the prism to the MASADA facility approximately one quarter mile off the time of the northern peninsula. I can promise you that there, once and for all, you'll finally be able to leave La Huerta behind."

"...But...aren't you on Rourke's side now?" I ask, still a little wary.

"Yeah," Zahra agrees. "Last I checked you were into blinding people at spectacularly sucky moments."

"Irrelevant!" Aleister snaps. "She's clearly not lying or attempting to manipulate us!"

"Dude, you can't seriously be buying this!" Zahra cries.

"Everett activated a part of my programming that prevents me from acting against him. However, I choose to see your departure from La Huerta as beneficial to all involved parties."

"...So...you couldn't come with us?"

"I cannot."

"And that's...that's it?" Aleister asks, his voice strained. "You're all that's left of my mother, and I'm never seeing you again?"

"I can't tell you how sorry I am that I couldn't be part of your life, my...Aleister. Though I don't have the opportunity to be a mother to you, I can certainly say that I'm proud of the steadfast and forthright young man you've become."

"More like bred fast and uptight," Zahra whispers to me.

"Zahra!" I hiss reproachfully.

"What? Too soon?"

"It seems I must terminate this connection shortly," Iris says. Her voice is starting to shift, back towards the voice I've grown familiar with. "Please hurry to the facility. It won't be safe to travel that way much long-" She struggles to continue speaking. "Good-bye...Aleister...I...love you...very much..."

"No! Mother, wait!"

The hologram flickers out. The terminal goes dark.

"Aleister..." I whisper. "I'm so sorry..."

"I was only two when she died...I never thought I would remember her face..." He lowers himself to the floor, resting his face in his hands. "My megalomaniac of a father brought her back as an automaton! A mere servant! The next time I see him, he'll have hell to pay!"

The sound of a distant growling makes us pause. I feel a twinge of fear and look around wildly.

"Uh, guys? Anyone seen Murphy?"

"The sound's coming from inside that hole," Zahra says. Inside the partially collapsed wall, there's a narrow, cave-like space, quite like the one we first found Murphy in. And sure enough, at the far end, Murphy is crouched and ready to pounce on a small crystalline fragment. He growls at it, and green fire flickers into being along the surface of the crystal. Murphy yips a warning at the object.

"That shard looks like there's a evil spirit trapped inside," Zahra mutters. It reminds me of the light that surrounded Quinn, but I don't say that. I approach carefully, gently nudging Murphy aside.

"Stand back, fella," I murmur. I stretch out a hand and cautiously poke the crystal with my index finger. The flames instantly recede. I pick up the crystal shard, and slip it into my pocket.

"...How exactly did you know to do that?" Aleister asks warily.

"Uh...wild guess?" I clear my throat. "...We should get back to the others."

The three of us emerge from the bunker with Murphy trotting behind. I immediately spot movement in a thicket of trees nearby.

"There's something over there," Aleister says lowly.

"Get ready," I murmur.

We conceal ourselves, preparing to fight or run from whatever rampaging beast may be approaching, when we hear a familiar voice.

"Ha!" Varyyn says. "Another miss!"

The elyyshar comes running out of the undergrowth with Diego close behind. They don't seem to notice us hunkered down just a short distance away.

"You think your so fast!" Diego laughs. "Eat this!" He hurls a seed pod at Varyyn, who deftly dodges. He stops, pretending to look for cover, intentionally keeping himself open. Diego picks up another pod and pegs him in the chest.

"Oh!" Varyyn gasps with mock indignation. "How dare you! I am the elyyshar!" He dramatically falls to the forest floor.

"It is official!" Diego cries triumphantly. "I, Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto, have caught them all!" Winded, he sits down beside Varyyn.

I notice Zahra getting ready to clear her throat, but I put my finger to my lips, grinning conspiratorially. She shrugs and heads back to the beach. Aleister picks up Murphy and follows. I watch Varyyn and Diego together, lying on the floor amid shimmering bioluminescent flowers.

"You know," Diego says, "I really owe you a whole handful of those seeds right in the face. How many times did I get in trouble for telling everyone you were studying when really you'd snuck out to surf Colonnade Cave?"

"Many times. You are a very good tutor."

Diego snorts. "And now you're the elyyshar and I'm one of the Twelve. Who would've thought?"

"I never expected to take my mother's place so soon. It happened so fast, I..." Varyyn suddenly seems on the verge of tears. It strikes me watching him how young he is, especially in Vaanti years. "...I never got to say goodbye..."

Diego places a hand on his shoulder. "Ximeadra was very brave to do what she did. She did it for all of us, but mostly because she loved you and knew you'd make a great elyyshar."

"...Yes..."

"And as it turns out, you're basically Aragorn! The king no one expected, but everyone hoped for."

"...You really think I'm Airborne?"

I see Diego wince a little. "Ara..." He trails off, smiling. "Never mind. Yes. I do."

Varyyn sits up and pulls Diego into a tight embrace. I can see Diego's face over the Vaanti's shoulder, startled and blushing. He awkwardly pats the elyyshar's back.

"...Thank you, Diego."

"Of course!"

They separate slightly, their eyes meeting. After a moment, they pull apart, looking away awkwardly. Diego clears his throat.

"Uh...so...how many tribal festivals have you guys had, anyway?"

"Aside from today, I've only attended one other Valinorim. I was no older than Taari then. My mother was occupied with hosting and I wasn't getting much attention...so I took Uqzhaal's symbol of office, a very special clay whistle, to the top of a coconut tree, and dropped it on the quuk'tanoi champion's head. It broke into countless pieces."

Diego burst into peals of laughter. "You were such a brat!"

"I was. Poor Uqzhaal."

The two of them lean back on their hands in silence, looking off into the rainforest. Diego moves his arm closer to Varyyn's. Varyyn tentatively reaches out to take his hand.

"...Diego...I am grateful to have met you."

"Pleasure's all mine," Diego replies.

"...You have pleasure?"

"I mean, pleasure not like...that's not...er-" He rubs a hand over his face. "I'm gonna try to pretend the last three seconds didn't happen."

"Do or do not," Varyyn says. "There is no try."

I actually have to clap a hand over my mouth to smother my laughter. Diego blinks, astonished.

"That...was actually a pretty solid reference." He entwines his fingers with Varyyn's. Varyyn turns to squint into the trees, looking in my direction. From the way his presence comes to the front of my mind, I can tell he's picked up on mine. He smiles slowly, no doubt realizing my game.

"Alodia is a very good friend to you," he remarks.

"Best I've ever had," Diego agrees. "Why do you—Oh. Hey, Allie."

"Hey, guys," I say with a grin. "I hope I'm not interrupting, but I've got some news, and we need to gather everyone together."

"...So apparently, this Lernaean Gate can get us home, but we'll need the Island's Heart to power it."

I look around at my friends, gathered on the beach with several of the Vaanti. They look back at me, their expressions a mixed bag of confusion, uncertainty, and hope.

"Home? Already?" Raj murmurs, "B-but I was kinda enjoying myself..."

"Yeah! We worked hard for this vacation!" Craig agrees. "I think we should see it through!"

"Uh, pretty sure it was given to us for free," Diego says.

"...Well, to be fair, there was a lot of fighting and almost dying before this party," I point out.

"Okay, fair, but still."

"The real question," Jake says, "is whether we can actually trust Robomaid now that Rourke's reprogrammed her?"

"My money's on no," Zahra says flatly.

"See? There ya go. Besides, what's so bad about this place anyway? I kinda like it here!"

"I'm with Alodia," Michelle says. "Honestly, Craig, how many times have you almost died in the last week?"

"Uh, think I lost count."

"I trust her," Aleister says firmly.

"You do?" Jake asks.

"My father may have made her what she is now, but even he couldn't take away her humanity. She wasn't lying to us. She clearly wanted to help."

Everyone pauses a moment, considering his words.

"You can't know for a fact that she was telling the truth," Zahra says softly. "An AI with unlimited database access is not someone you wanna trust."

"That's a good point," Grace agrees, but if there's even a slim chance we can get home, I think we should try."

"Grace is right. Who knows when we'll have another opportunity like this?"

"So...you are leaving, then?" Varyyn asks softly.

"...I...guess so..." Diego answers uncertainly.

"...I will be sorry to see you go," the elyyshar says. "But I suppose I must accept that your destiny is larger than Vaanu."

"Are you okay with us taking the Heart?"

"Of course. I will accompany you to ensure that it returns to Elyys'tel." He exhales slowly. "The northern reaches are dangerous. It is different there."

"So this is the un-dangerous part of the island?" Zahra scoffs. "Great."

"I will arrange for several of our best warriors to come along as well."

"All right. So we're doing this."

"Lila, you haven't said anything yet," Estela remarks. Lila doesn't respond. She sits a short distance away in the sand, looking mournful.

"You all right, Lila?" I ask.

"Huh? Oh..." She forces a bright smile. "I'm fine! Everything's great! We're going home! Yay!"

"...Were you hoping to stay?"

She sighs. "I just really thought we'd find out where the guests at The Celestial went by now. If something happened to them, it's my job to find out about it and report it to Rourke International."

"They can't expect you to comb every inch of the island."

"If you can't help someone, sometimes you must trust in their ability to find their own way," Estela adds.

"I guess that's true," Lila sighs. She stands and seems to shrug off her melancholy. "Thanks, you two. I feel a lot better now."

"You're welcome," Estela says with a smile.

"I think the island's finally getting to me," Jake deadpans. "I could swear I saw Wednesday Addams over there give someone a pep talk."

Estela just shrugs. Uqzhaal approaches with a group of Vaanti scouts.

"Like the ever-roaming constellations themselves, the Catalysts journey toward a new horizon!" the shaman says. He removes the Island's Heart from a satchel and hands it to me. "Good fortune on the path ahead, friends. You will always be remembered by our people."

"I wanna go, too!" Taari exclaims.

Seraxa puts a hand on the boy's shoulder. "The Catalysts' path is leading them away from our people, Taari."

"But I'm a Cat-a-liss, too!" he protests.

"You are a little boy who's about one word away from not eating supper!" Seraxa says firmly. Taari goes silent, pouting. Satisfied, Seraxa continues. "We owe much to you, Catalysts. May your stars guide you."

"Cat-a-lissus forever!" Taari cheers.

"We should make our preparations and then get some rest," Sean suggests. "We'll head out first thing in the morning."

Jake salutes him with two fingers. "Aye aye, Cap."

The next morning, we bid the Vaanti goodbye and set out on our journey northward. I shed my Vaanti warrior clothes, replacing them with the camo gear Jake gave me. The catalyst idols clink against each other in my backpack. As we crest the foothills of a mountain range, the warm sea breeze gives way to a noticable chill. One of the Vaanti scouts suddenly stops and points into the distance.

"Much snow up ahead!" he says. I look toward the distant slopes and see gleaming snow running all the way down to the shoreline.

"It will be very cold soon," Varyyn says. "We must prepare."

"But this is a tropical island!" Quinn protests.

"How far did we walk anyway?" Craig asks.

"It must be a time anomaly," Grace muses. "Maybe an ice age from thousands of years ago."

The scouts produced rolled blankets and start passing them out.

"You will need these."

"Yeah, I'll take one," Zahra agrees.

"Tosskal," Diego says. "Thank you."

"It's something, at least," Michelle concedes. Eventually, though, the scouts run out. I and a few of the Vaanti are left without extra covering. My breath is turning into clouds of steam in the air. My teeth start to chatter. Jake drapes an arm over my shoulders, drawing me under his blanket with him.

"Th-thanks, Top Gun, but we're gonna have a hard time walking like this..."

Grace, already wearing a jacket of her own, digs into her bag. "Here, Alodia. I've got an extra." I blink as she pulls out a puffy green coat.

"You brought more than one jacket to a tropical island?"

She grins. "I'm always cold. I always pack extra layers. Try these on."

I slip the coat on and zip it up. It's lightweight, but well-insulated. After a couple minutes of my body heat circulating within, I am feeling perfectly toasty.

"Thank you, Grace. Well! Let winter come! I'm ready!"

With most of the group bundled up, we proceed on the journey. As we trudge onward, the snow underfoot becomes thicker. Thick enough to crunch with each step. Cold winds drive clusters of falling snow into our faces. Aleister draws his blanket more tightly around himself.

"This is just miserable," he mutters.

"Freakin' ice age around here," Craig grumbles. "What's next, some kinda meteor impact?"

"Don't give the anomalies any ideas, Gronk," Jake warns.

There is one member of our group who actually seems more chipper than ever. Murphy repeatedly runs ahead, then stops and waits for us to catch up. I snort.

"At least he's in his element." Suddenly, Murphy stops, letting out a howl of alarm. "Huh? What's wrong, fella?"

"Someone's there," Estela murmurs. We all stop. A lone silhouette stands amid the white haze. I squint.

"Um...hello?" I call. There's no response. "Who's there?"

A small circle glows red near the figure's face, accompanied by a wisp of smoke. I approach carefully. The figure in front of me is hulking large. The red glow vaguely illuminates a dark face and glittering dark eyes. Atop a military jumpsuit, he wears an intricate steel exoskeleton.

"Alodia, get back!" Jake shouts. He rushes to stand between me and the figure, pushing me protectively behind him. He addressed the figure in a snarl. "Lundgren. What the hell are you doing here?"

My stomach flips wildly. I grasp Jake's arm. Lundgren takes another drag on his cigar, fixing Jake with a piercing gaze.

"Jacob. How long has it been?"

"Not long enough, you miserable-"

"Your family's disappointed in you, McKenzie. First you sold American arms to a Kharzistani dictator, then you resisted arrest and took yourself off the grid."

"What do you want, you asshole?"

"You, McKenzie. I'm here to bring you in." My grip on Jake's arm tightens.

"Jake, who the hell is this dude?" Craig demands.

"Pretty sure that's the asshole commander he told us about," Zahra says flatly.

Lundgren ignores them. He keeps his eyes on Jake.

"Had to break the news to your mama myself. 'Sorry, ma'am. Your son betrayed his country and endangered his fellow soldiers'." He smiles in a way that makes my skin crawl. "And then I held her while she cried hysterically. Least I could do."

"Don't. You. Dare." Jake's voice is a low, dangerous growl.

"That all you got, boy? Lyin' around in a hammock's made you soft."

"We both know what happened, Lundgren. What you did. _You killed him._ "

"Jacob, while I'd love to catch up on old times, I'm gonna need you to come with me if you don't want your new friends to get hurt." He pins his gaze on me, standing close to Jake, grasping his arm protectively. "...She's a pretty one, ain't she?"

"Alodia," Estela sidles up to me and murmurs in my ear, "we should be able take him if he's on his own."

"Arachnid!" Lundgren shouts. "Into position!"

At his signal, a series of armored Hummers come roaring over a nearby ridge. At least two dozen soldiers emerge from the vehicles and begin to move into formation, readying their rifles. They all wear bizzare futuristic full-body armor. Their faces are covered with masks that flash with tiny lights. Jake turns me toward him, gripping my shoulders and looking into my eyes.

"Listen to me, Princess, it's me he wants. Take the others and get out of here."

"Jake, I can't just-"

"Are we really doing this right now?!" Michelle cries.

"Go, Alodia! Please!"

"I'm not leaving you!" I reach up and grip his face in my hands. "Don't you dare ask me again!"

His lips quiver as he looks down at me. "...Dammit, Princess. Why you gotta make me feel weak at a time like this?"

"Now!" Craig suddenly shouts. He and Sean and Zahra launch a series of hard-packed snowballs at the still readying soldiers.

"Everybody run!" Sean cries.

"Scouts, protect the Catalysts' retreat!" Varyyn orders.

The Vaanti scouts draw their spears and rush forward to engage the soldiers, trilling battle cries. We make use of the momentary distraction to scramble toward a nearby ravine. Rounding the mountain slope, we nearly run off the edge of a cliff.

"Diego!" Varyyn cries out as Diego's foot slips on the edge of the precipice and he struggles to throw his weight backward. I spring forward, latching onto him and pulling him back.

"Ohmygod," he gasps, trembling. "...Thanks, Allie."

"You have my gratitude as well," Varyyn says. I look at Diego.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just need to start breathing again..."

Grace steps up to the edge and peers over. "Ohhhh, that is a long way down..."

I dare to peek down as well. The bottom of the chasm is completely lost in the darkness hundreds of feet below. I hear Murphy yipping ahead of us.

"Dudes, there's a path around the edge!" Raj calls. "Follow Murphy!" He moves as fast as he can up a narrow walkway, bottles clinking in his messenger bag. We follow him, stepping carefully over the slick stones. Jake glances back the way we came.

"Shit! They're gaining on us! Keep moving, Princess!"

As we ascend, the snowfall gets heavier, stinging my face with icy blasts. A wrecked aircraft comes into view, its wings balancing precariously atop two adjacent cliffs. As my gaze returns to the walkway, I notice someone rounding a corner ahead. A woman, wearing armor like the others, with two katanas crossed in sheathes behind her back, smiles at us.

"Well, well. Don't I just feel like the Pied Piper."

"You!" Jake growls.

"You know her, too?" I ask incredulously.

"You might say Wolf and I go way back," the woman drawls. She reaches over her shoulders to draw her blades. They're tech-enhanced, radiating waves of heat that cause the cliffside to weep melting snow as she moves closer.

"Here, kiddie kiddies," she purrs.

"I don't like her," Zahra declares.

"Uhh, a little help here, guys?" Raj calls from the front of the group, the first one in Katana Chick's sight.

"Raj, douse her!" I shout.

"But I've only got my good stuff on hand!" he protests.

"Just do it!"

He reaches into his bag and pulls out a champagne bottle. "I hope you like Chateauneuf du Pape! ...'Cause I do."

He sabers open the bottle, causing foam and liquid to spray at the woman. She yelps as popping sounds come from the champagne-coated katanas. A cloud of hissing steam rises, blinding her.

"Good call, Alodia!"

But a series of heavy thuds makes me realize that someone is approaching behind us. A tanned man with a massive body-builders' physique and fearsome tech-enhanced gloves on his hands, approaches with a wicked smile.

"Told Lundgren I wasn't going to kill any of you." He points one mechanical fist toward the mountain slope. "Guess I lied."

The power fist strikes the rock face with a deafening crack, causing the walkway to tremor beneath our feet. Fissures for in the slope, and huge chunks of stone roll down toward us.

"Head for the plane!" Sean yells. "We gotta cross!"

"That plane looks like it could fall at any minute!" Diego protests.

"If it was gonna fall, it would have already! Come on!"

"Leaving so soon?" Katana Chick asks in a snarl. She touches a disc near the center of her suit, and suddenly she is nearly indetectable against the cliff. "Don't worry. When it happens, you won't see a thing."

As she and the hulking brute converge, we all rush onto the wings of the plane. Gunfire rings out across the chasm.

"There are more on top of the mountain!" Aleister cries. I look. Lundgren and his soldiers are standing on the summit, their automatic rifles pointed at us.

"Crap! We're sitting ducks!" Craig yells.

Estela drops onto the cab of the plane and uses her heel to bash open a rusted boarding door.

"Inside! Now!"

One by one, we jump into the gutted interior of the plane. Estela stands guard by the door. Lundgren's voice comes from outside.

"Gas 'em, Mouse."

There is a moment of dead silence. Then, a masked figure in red and black drops onto the nose of the plane and smashes the front windshield. Four cannisters roll into the plane, spewing acrid violet-colored gas.

"Oh, no...I don't have a cannon this time," Grace says weakly.

"Hang on, everyone!" I stumble over to the control panel, searching the buttons desperately. The violet-colored clouds sting my eyes, making them water. My head starts to spin. I can just barely make out the label on the small metal switch: _Emergency Oxygen Masks_. I flick it with a trembling hand, and feel myself slump against the dash...

… "Alodia! Alodia!"

I open my eyes to find Sean hovering over me, a mask over his mouth and nose. My face feels strange, but my head is quickly clearing. I'm in one of the dusty, frosty passenger seats. I raise a hand to my face and feel one of the masks secured over it.

"...Sean?"

Sean exhales slowly and smiles. "She's okay, everyone!"

"That was a good call," Jake says from my other side. "Unfortunately, you also managed to get a pretty big breath of the stuff."

"Is everyone okay?"

"For now."

"...What about Murphy?"

Sean chuckles. "Well, see for yourself." He gestures to where a very grumpy Murphy perches on top of a seat, whining and pawing at the mask fixed awkwardly to his muzzle. Diego strokes his fur.

"I know it's uncomfortable, little guy, but you saw what those clouds did to Allie. And your lungs are much smaller."

Murphy sighs resignedly, slumping on the seat back. I hear a rattling sound, and glance over to where Craig is struggling to open a wall-mounted first-aid cabinet.

"How the hell are you supposed to get this to..."

"Craig, what are you looking for in there?" Michelle asks.

I bolt to my feet, hot dread filling my chest. Within the cabinet, I can see a glint of amber. I dash over the help Craig with the latch. The door of the cabinet swings open and a crumpled note falls out. I pick it up and smooth it out.

Found this during the excavation. Silas should be interested in it. Don't show it to any of Rourke's people.

-Henry

"Odd place to stash it," I murmur. Craig pulls out the idol. It depicts a man with the head, shoulders, and arms of a bear, crouched and ready to attack. He passes it to me. I try not to let him see how my hand trembles as I reach out to take it. The gutted plane around me washes away in a wave of rippling colors...

… _I'm on the tarmac in a small airport. The signs around me are all in Spanish. I recognize this place. This is the airport in Costa Rica where we all took off for La Huerta. Sean and Craig stand beside a small pile of luggage._

 _"This is it, bro! One tropical island vacation comin' up!"_

 _"Can't wait," Sean agrees, grinning. "Hey, did you find out yet?"_

 _"Uh, nah. They'll probably email me tomorrow or something."_

 _"Hey, you got this, Hsiao. I talked to those NFL guys about you."_

 _"You did?"_

 _"Yeah, man! They were like, 'So what do you think of 68? He any good?'"_

 _"...And...?"_

 _Sean shrugs. "I told them the truth. They aren't gonna find a better run-blocking guard at any school in the state."_

 _"Wow. 'Preciate it, bro. I dunno, maybe I do have a shot."_

 _"Oh, wow! Is that Zahra Namazi?" A short distance away, Zahra opens a black duffle and slips out her laptop. "So she's coming, too? Geez, I haven't seen her since..."_

 _"Sophomore year," Craig finishes, sadness nipping at the edges of his features. If Sean notices, he doesn't comment._

 _"No way!" I hear Diego gasp. "Sean Gayle is coming on this trip, too?"_

 _"Really?" Grace asks. "He is?"_

 _Several other students flock over to Sean, though I am not among them. God knows what I was up to at the time, but now I watch through Craig's eyes. Sean's confidence and assured ease seem to immediately dazzle our classmates. Craig watches from a completely different world. A buzz from his phone distracts him. An email has come in. The one he's been waiting for. Heart pounding, he reads it:_

 _Dear Mr. Hsiao,_

 _Our draft scouts were glad to make your acquaintance at the Hartfeld Varsity Mixer. As I'm certain you're aware, we're limited on the number of athletes we can consider for the 2017 NFL College Draft. While we won't be able to iclude you on our list, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors._

 _The sound of laughter and cheering comes from the group surrounding Sean. Craig's gaze slips to the floor as the scene begins to dissolve._

 _My vision grows dim as I'm yanked through space and time. The inertia brings me to the edge of nausea. I find myself in an unfamiliar laboratory, no doubt somewhere on La Huerta. Several of my friends gather around a computer terminal. Craig stands near a steel double door._

 _"You comin' or not, Big Guy?" Jake calls. "Portal's almost ready to go!"_

 _"...Ain't nothing for me back home," Craig says softly._

 _A muffled explosion shakes the room. The door cracks open slightly._

 _"They'll be inside soon!" Estela cries. A trap door opens in the floor, and everyone begins climbing down. Michelle waits on the ladder, looking up through the hatch._

 _"Craig, what the hell? Come on!"_

 _Craig walks over to the terminal, squints at the screen, and taps a button._

 _"...It's been real, guys."_

 _"Crai-" The hatch snaps shut above her, cutting her off._

 _Another detonation knocks the double door off its hinges. Three soldiers rush into the lab._

 _"Surrender or be neutralized," one barks._

 _"Screw you!" Craig snarls back. As the soldiers ready their weapons, Craig runs headlong into them, roaring. He plows them over like rag dolls, sending bodies and weapons scattering. He turns to run through the door, but a towering figure blocks his path. The man with the mechanical fists grins down at him._

 _"Heh. I like your style, kid."_

 _"One side, asshole!"_

 _"...That's my line." The titan of a man deploys both mechanical fists into Craig's chest. He's thrown clear across the room, crashing heavily against the opposite wall. He slumps to the floor, groaning and gasping. The brute looms over him. "You gonna tell your friends to come out? Or do I gotta make you fly again?"_

 _Craig coughs, blood oozing from between his lips, but he smirks up at the brute. "You're too late. ...Gonna suck to have to tell Rourke you blew it again. He probably wouldn't even waste a cryo tube on a loser like you. Just...scrap you...for...spare parts..." His chuckle turns into choking. He struggles for breath in vain. Finally, his head drops..._

… In a flash, I find myself back in the gutted plane. I tremble as I grip the bear idol.

"Good god..."

"...You okay, Alodia?" Craig asks.

I force a smile, stuffing the idol into my backpack. "Fine. Just...wishing this gas would clear out."

The violet-colored clouds finally begin to dissipate through the holes in the plane's hull. Diego cautiously lifts his mask.

"Unless we can make this thing fly, we should probably get out of-"

He is interrupted by the piercing screech of metal grinding on metal. We all clap our hands over our ears. Estela peers out the door. Her eyes widen.

"She's cutting apart the wing!"

Katana Chick grins at us from the other side of the chasm, sawing through the wing's tip. "This is your captain speaking," she calls, her voice echoing across the canyon. "Fasten your seatbelts! It's gonna be a rough landing!"

"There's a door on the other side!" Lila cries. "Everyone together!"

We all rip our masks off. I help Murphy with his, and we all ram into the opposite door, forcing it open. I'm the first out, climbing out into a cloud of snow, a heavy blizzard that makes it impossible to see beyond a few feet. The plane lurches violently beneath us.

"Go!" Sean yells. "Before she cuts it down!"

We make our way carefully across the wing, fighting to keep our balance in the driving wind and bitter, biting cold. Murphy scampers ahead, undampered by the cold or the wind.

"Everyone, join hands!" I call. "Form a chain! I can get us across!"

I feel Jake's hand in mine, and look back, barely able to make out his face. "We're good, Princess! Go!"

I concentrate and steadily make my way across the icy wing, leading my friends behind me. "Keep going! Don't look down!"

"We're almost across!" Raj calls. "We're almost home free!"

At last, my feet hit snow-covered stone. I leap forward, giving the rest of the chain room to tumble to safety. Aleister startles me by being the first to wrap me in a tight hug. Then he composes himself and pulls back.

"...Thank you," he says. "For not getting us all killed."

"Seconded!" Lila chimes in.

I'm about to answer when Katana Chick's superheated swords finally slice through the last of the far wing. A loud rumble fills the air as the plane careens into the shadowy abyss. I shudder.

"...I'm starting to think bad luck with planes is genetic," I mutter.

"Oh, god, don't say that," Diego pleads

I'm distracted from answering by a hail of bullets whizzing through the densely falling snow around us.

"Get back over here!" Katana Chick roars. "Playtime isn't over yet!"

"Dammit!" Mecha-Fists snarls. "We can't get across!"

"Now's our chance!" Lila declares. "We can lose them in the blizzard!"

Slowly, painfully, we make our way up the other side of the chasm. We barely speak, concentrating on the climb. Finally, I crest the top, and find myself on a wide plateau. The snow piles are up to my knees here. My classmates disappear within the driving white clouds, but I over the howling wind, I can discern voices.

"Sean...?" Michelle calls. "...Anyone?"

"You guys still there?" Quinn whimpers. "Please say something..."

"Follow my voice!" This call breaks through the din of the wind like a cannonblast. "Come to me, Catalysts!"

"...Varyyn?" I hear Diego call. "Where are you?"

Gradually, we begin to find each other. When we're satisfied that we all made it, we hold onto each other and press forward, eager to put distance between ourselves and the chasm. A little ways ahead, I make out the shape of a large crate poking out of the snow.

"...What is that...?"

"It must be from the cargo plane," Grace says.

There are words printed on the metal box, but snow clinging to the surface obscures them. I pull my hand into my jacket sleeve and brush it away, revealing the words: _Mansingh Transglobal Tech._ Grace recoils in shock.

"Wh-what?!"

"Grace, isn't that your mother's company?" Aleister asks.

"Why would they be sending equipment here?!" Grace cries.

"I dunno, but we're not gonna figure it out now," I say. "We should keep moving. This storm doesn't look like it's gonna let up."

We trudge on through the blizzard. I lose track of how long we wander through the endless snow drifts. Dread fills my belly. Our meager protection against the snow isn't going to last forever, nor is our energy, especially without food. If we don't find shelter soon, we're going to freeze to death.

"Guys!" Diego calls out, his voice hoarse. "There's something over there!"

I look where he's pointing. There's a building looming in the distance, large and gleaming. We turn towards it. In our present state, I think we would walk into Rourke's laboratory if it were dry and heated. As we approach, we can just make out the words on a sign half-buried in the snow: 'Elysian Lodge Resort.'

"Another resort?" Sean croaks. "All the way up here?"

"We're...saved...!"

Aleister looks up at the building with resignation. "...So we hope," he murmurs. "...Let's go."


	10. Auld Lang Syne

I become aware of a steady rise and fall beneath my head, and the faint smell of cotton blended with sweat. Sunlight shines through my eyelids, turning my vision red. There is warm, comforting pressure around my back, and I feel secure enough to let my eyelids flutter open.

Morning sunlight streams through frost-covered windows in the lobby of the Elysian Lodge Resort. I'm on a wide couch, curled up with my head on Jake's chest. He's still asleep, one arm tucked behind his head, the other wrapped around my side. I'm under a blanket, but can feel that I'm bare from the hips down, in only a t-shirt and a pair of underpants. The events of the night before slowly return to me.

We found the Lodge as deserted as The Celestial. Or at least, what little we saw of it. We didn't bother trying to find empty rooms, or food or anything. The heat was still going, and that was all that really mattered. We flicked on the gas fireplace, and just barely managed to strip off the wettest of our clothes and set them out to dry before collapsing with exhaustion on whatever soft spots we could find. I look around at my friends, scattered through the lobby. Diego and Varyyn are spooning on the floor in front of the fire, a throw blanket over them. Raj is curled up on a recliner. Craig snores on a rug. Aleister huddles on the hardwood floor beside a bed of pillows he made for Grace. I rise carefully, trying not to disturb Jake. I go over to the fire, and finding my pants and socks relatively dry, I pull them on. I walk to the window.

The blizzard has calmed outside. I stand still for a moment, replaying the previous day in my mind.

"...You're up."

Zahra's voice makes me jump. I turn around and find her sitting in an armchair, sipping coffee. I inhale a rich aroma.

"That smells good. Got any for me?"

"You're in luck. Brought an extra cup just for you." She nods at the steaming cup on the side table next to her. "You're welcome."

I pick up the ceramic mug, relishing the warmth on my hands before taking a sip of perfectly hot mocha. It's sweet taste immediately clears my head.

"Mmm...perfect. I would have figured you for a no-cream-no-sugar kind of girl."

"When you drink as much coffee as I do, variety is important."

"Did you get any rest?"

"Me? Nah. I don't sleep very much, and when I do, I don't sleep well. …But thanks for asking."

"Just wanted to make sure you're doing okay."

"I'm fine. Being an insomniac does have its benefits. I poked around last night looking for a guest list. I found one, but it was all Rourke International employee ID numbers."

"So, you think Rourke's people had been staying here?"

She shrugs. "Maybe temporary housing, maybe a cover for the massive operation. Who knows with these people?"

I look out the window again. Drifts of smooth virgin snow left by the blizzard pile against the walls and trees outside.

"Any sign of the soldiers that were chasing us?"

"Blizzard chased them off." At the male voice, I turn so see Jake sitting up on the couch, rubbing his eyes, his hair tousled. "I think we're in the clear."

I walk over to place a hand on his shoulder and offer him my coffee cup. "Take a sip of that. It'll wake you up a bit." He accepts, but he only takes a small swallow before passing it back to me.

"I've heard whispers of those Arachnid people on the web, man," Zahra says. "They're serious. Were you...one of them?"

He is quiet a moment. Then he nods. "Yeah. One of their pilots. We were supposed to be helping people. I had no idea what Lundgren was doing behind the scenes."

"Jake, why are they still after you?" I ask. "I don't understand. I mean, you were on the run, basically exiled. You had no proof of anything they did wrong. Why would they still be out to kill you?"

"For as long as I knew him, Lundgren held the meanest grudges you can imagine. Maybe he always figured I'd be able to expose him one day, ruin his whole operation...but I never even tried."

"Why not?!" Zahra demands. "How could you just let him win, after what he did to you? After what he did to your friend?"

"'Cause I've seen what trying to do the right thing can cost," he says flatly.

Zahra sighs, shaking her head. "Damn. And I thought I had enemies."

Jakes rubs his hands over his face. "Look...I'm sorry they found us. I know this is on me." He looks up at me, taking my hand, his eyes earnest as they meet mine. "But I ain't gonna let them hurt you. I swear it. I swear it on everything."

I squeeze his hand. "...Are we safe?"

"This lodge is in the shadow of a ridge. Hard as hell to spot from the air. We can lay low for a couple days, no sweat."

"And what are we supposed to do for a couple days?" Zahra asks.

"Get some rest, and prepare for the journey ahead," I say simply. "We've still got a long way north to the Lernaean Gate."

"And it just got a hell of a lot harder with Arachnid out there," Zahra remarks.

"Oughta be something around here that can help us out," Jake muses.

"Well, no time like the present. Let's wake everyone, split up and search the place. Time to get our bearings."

When we're all awake, we first make a beeline for the kitchens and forage for breakfast, making quick word of bagels, dry cereal, and fruit juice. Raj of course wants to prepare us something more substantial, but I convince him to wait for dinner. Or at least, lunch. Of course, I can't resist the opportunity for a hot shower and a chance to change my clothes. Just as at The Celestial, Elysian Lodge has a shopping level and a number of discarded suitcases. I poke around and manage to throw together an outfit of yoga pants, a tank top, and a sweatshirt to pull over it, as well as clean socks and undergarments. I take a quick shower in one of the abandoned rooms and brush my teeth with the complimentary toiletries that lie untouched in the drawer. Refreshed, I step out to explore the lodge.

A short time later, I find my way to the resort's luxurious spa and wander inside. Michelle leans against a massage table at one end of the room, an assortment of lotions, ointments, and creams spread before her. Through a clear door, I can spot Diego and Varyyn in a steam room, their bodies glistening with sweat. I wander over to Michelle.

"I am officially in heaven," she murmurs, smiling dreamily as she examines the products.

"Taking inventory?"

"If by taking inventory, you mean plotting to steal this stuff, then yes. I mean, look at it, Alodia! This is a collection of some of the most expensive and high-end skincare products in the world!" She holds up a pearl-lined clamshell case with Russian lettering on it. "This is Karolevya Zalataya Creme! It retails for around five thousand dollars!"

"Holy shit! What, is it made of gold?!"

"Extracts from super-rare Peruvian orchids, ursolic acid, biodynamic-grade vanilla...and yes, nanoparticles of gold."

"I had no idea you were so into lotions."

She shrugs. "Everyone's got their vices. Some people like expensive wine or fancy dresses. For me, it's high quality skincare." She selects an elegant-looking jar, dips one delicate finger in, and applies the cream to my cheek. "Tell me that doesn't feel amazing. You can't."

The cream sinks into skin that's admittedly a bit worse for wear after a week of salty sea air followed by a hike through a blizzard. The skin where the cream touches tingles pleasantly.

"Mmm, I could definitely get used to this." Michelle caps the jar and slips it into my pocket with a wink.

"There you go. On the house."

At that moment, Varyyn and Diego burst from the steam room. Varyyn's eyes are bright, his cheeks high with color.

"That was remarkable! You humans must be true warriors to subject yourselves to such grueling conditions for pleasure!"

Diego chuckles. "I don't think I ever get tired of showing you new things."

"Enjoying the amenities, fellas?"

"It was amazing!" Varyyn exclaims. "Diego merely pressed his hand to the wall, and glorious steam came bursting forth! I feel quite rejuvenated!"

"You don't have steam rooms in Elyys'tel?"

"There are hot spring caverns," he replies. "But the steam comes from deep within Vaanu itself, not through the walls, and not at our command!"

"Just wait until I show him a PS4," Diego quips.

"Now!" Varyyn claps his hands. "Let us run outside and hurl ourselves in the snow!"

"...Do what now?"

"Hot and cold, ice and fire! There is no greater way to feel alive!"

"But...I...I mean..." Diego sighs as Varyyn stretches luxuriously, his muscles glistening. "The things I do..."

I burst out laughing. "The things you do for a nice piece of ass!" I tease in Spanish. "Have fun out there, buddy!"

Diego waggles his eyebrows. "Oh, I will."

I wander out of the spa to continue exploring the lodge. Nearer the lobby, I find Estela alone in a small office, angrily combing through stacks of paper, muttering to herself.

"Come on, come on...it's gotta be somewhere..."

"You, uh, looking for something in particular?" I ask. Estela starts.

"Oh! Alodia!"

I chuckle. "You must be distracted if I was actually able to sneak up on you."

"I'm just looking for...I..." She slumps in her chair, and I'm struck by how vulnerable she suddenly looks. "...It's complicated."

I kneel beside her and cover her hand with mine. "You can tell me. Whatever it is."

"I know. I know I can tell you anything. Doesn't make it any less hard." She reaches over and pulls out a piece of paper with a long list of names, showing it to me.

"What's this?"

"I was looking through the office to see if there was anything helpful, and I found this. Rourke International personnel records. All the employees who stayed here."

"And...?" Hesitantly, she taps a name halfway down the list. I read it. "Olivia Montoya?"

"...My mother."

"...Your...mother?"

"She worked here, on this island. For Rourke. A senior researcher. Children weren't allowed, so I stayed with my uncle in San Trobida and helped with...the family business."

"What was that?"

"...Killing dictators."

I blink. "...Oh..."

"Anyway, my mother would send letters once a week. Telling me what she was doing. Telling me that she loved me. Her last letter came six years ago. It was messy. Handwritten. She said she'd discovered something. Something very dangerous. And a week later, she was dead. An 'accident'."

"...You think Rourke did it."

"I _know_ Rourke did it," she says fiercely. "I swore revenge. When I learned that Rourke had a son studying at Hartfeld under a false name, I enrolled to find him. And when I won this contest to come here and meet him...I couldn't believe my luck. But it wasn't luck after all. ...She was here, Alodia. Somewhere in this lodge. If I could just figure out what room she was staying in..." She bites her lip, her eyes shimmering.

"...You're looking for something to remember her by."

"In a way...yeah. I guess I am."

"I know there'll be nothing left of her there. I'm sure Rourke cleaned it up and threw out all her possessions. I just thought...if I could find her room...I'd feel some trace of her. ..To be in the same room she'd been in...to feel some hint of her presence..."

"I get it, Estela."

She shakes her head. "Never mind. I'm being stupid."

"No you're not. ...Estela...my parents died when I was seven months old. I don't have any memories of them except in little keepsakes. ...I want to help you in this."

"...I appreciate that, Alodia. But right now, I think I need to be alone."

I sigh and nod. "...I understand. But let me know if you change your mind, okay?"

"I will."

I leave Estela in peace, wandering back into the guests' quarters. As I pass by one room with its door ajar, I hear voices from within. I peek inside and find Craig and Zahra hunkered down by the TV, apparently looking for something.

"Come on, come on!" Zahra mutters. "There's gotta be a cable around here somewhere!"

"Can't you just make us our own cable with your awesome tech skills?"

"Dude, I'm a hacker, not a hardware store!"

"What's going on here?" I ask.

"Check out what we found!" Craig exclaims. He reaches under the TV and pulls out a blocky gray videogame console.

"What am I looking at?" They both look at me like I've just asked if the moon is really made of green cheese.

"...Are you serious? It's an original GameGen 32-bit with like, twenty-five cartridges!"

"Only the best game system of our youth!" Zahra adds.

"Huh. I must've missed it."

"Then you were the saddest kid on the planet," Zahra scoffs.

"Zahra brought hers to college. We played it all through freshman year."

"If by 'play' you mean me constantly kicking your ass."

"Anyway, we were thinking we could set it up. Relive some memories. Problem is, we can't find the video cable."

"Yeah," Zahra sighs. "And I don't think we're gonna. ...Whatever, though. Standing around here is boring. I'm gonna go make some more coffee."

"Wait! Maybe we just need a fresh pair of eyes!" He looks desperately at me. "Alodia, could you help us look?"

I grin. "Let's get you guys connected."

Craig and Zahra resume their search by the TV, while I concentrate on the drawers of the nightstand. When I don't find anything except brochures in there, I peer under the bed.

"Huh...I think I see something..." I pull the lamp off the nightstand and shine it into the darkness under the bed to get a better look. I reach out and grab a thin gray cable, my fingers brushing a faded scrap of paper in the dust nearby. I pull it out with the cable. "...There's a newspaper clipping here, too..." I sit up, my eyes skimming the yellowed page:

 **MAY 8TH 1994**

 _Tragedy struck the Queens neighborhood of Bayside early morning when a drunk driver sped through a red light, plunging head-on into a minivan. The collision killed the driver of the minivan, 32-year-old Arjun Sethi along with his wife Subhanu and two children in the backseat. The only survivor was their four-year-old daughter, who is currently in critical_

The clipping cuts off there.

"Woah! Alodia, is that the cable?"

"You'll have to tell me," I reply, tucking the newspaper clipping into the pocket of my sweatshirt. "But it sure looks like it."

Craig grabs the cable and rushes over to the TV to plug it in. He flips on the TV, and pushes a button on the console. The screen flickers to life. Chiptone music plays over a pixelated GameGen logo image.

"It works! It works!"

"I can honestly say I have never been happier in my life," Zahra declares. "Well, Alodia, as our savior here, you do the honors. What should we play first?"

I examine the box of cartridges, and pull out one with the image of a woman in full-body armor. _Aeternum Chronicles: Legend of the 7 Crystals._ "Huh, this one looks interesting."

"Aww, man, isn't that one of those boring RPG's?" Crain groans.

"Uh, if by 'boring RPG' you mean 'underrated masterpiece that advanced interactive storytelling by a decade'!" Zahra cries.

"That's pretty much what I meant, yeah."

We pop the game in, and Craig and I flop on the bed to watch Zahra play. Soon, we're all engrossed in the story.

"Woah! So Garryn and Prince Deathshadow were childhood friends?"

"He ditched his best bro for power and glory! That's messed up!"

"Just wait 'til we get to the Wasteland Temple. There's a twist that'll blow your minds."

"How long is this game anyway?" I ask.

"One-hundred and fifty hours," Zahra replies. "But that's if you don't do the sidequests."

"I've got another ten minutes in me, tops," Craig declares.

"Same," I add.

Zahra scoffs. "Wimps."

After about ten more minutes, Craig and Zahra have switched to their favorite game, _Deadly Bloodsport._ They lie side-by-side on the bed as they play.

"Oh, come on!" Craig laughs. "You trying that harpoon trick shizz on me? Don't you know I'm the king of counters?!"

"Harpoon's just a decoy! Eat shuriken!"

I can't help but grin as I watch them playing together. I should probably leave them to it. I doubt they'll even notice me slipping out. The competative banter only escalates as I sneak away. I can't resist pausing behind the door to watch for a little while.

"No no no no no! Do not get that ult off!"

"What, you mean this ult?"

"Dodged it! Dodged it! And now for the follow-up!"

"Good luck with that!" Zahra scoffs. "Because I know your one weak spot!" She leans over, and tickles Craig just under his ribs. He yelps.

"No fair! No fair!" Craig wobbles, arms windmilling, and tumbles off the side of the bed. As he falls, he grabs Zahra by the collar and pulls her down with him. He lands on his back, Zahra collapsing in a heap on top of him. Panting, they look at each other, faces just inches apart. Craig smiles.

"Hey..."

"...Yeah?"

"...I missed you, Player Two."

She snorts. "You gotta be kidding. Everyone knows you're _my_ Player Two. But...yeah, I guess I missed you, too."

She leans forward as he leans up. Their foreheads collide, and they both burst out laughing.

"Ow! I forgot how hard your skull is!"

As they scramble back up onto the bed to restart the game, I smile and shut the door behind me.

I head back down to the first floor, searching for the others. Down one wing I haven't explored, I round a corner and discover a casino, complete with slot machines, pachinko, and tables for blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. At a table at the far end, Grace, Aleister, Sean, and Jake sit together, playing a game of poker. I sidle up to the table, cinching my arms around Jake's shoulders from behind and kissing his cheek. He quickly hides his cards before I can peek.

"Settling in, I see?"

"It's not every day you stumble into a full-blown casino," Grace replies cheerfully.

"Wonder if Rourke wanted to finance his global domination by turning this place into Island Vegas," Sean quips.

Jake reaches back to ruffle my hair lightly. "Whaddya say, kid? You in?"

"Just tell me you're not playing strip poker."

"Naw. I'm saving that for you later tonight." I purr coquettishly and take a seat beside him.

"Aleister was just walking us through his strategy," Grace explains.

"Never had you pegged as a gambling type, Aleister."

"I'll admit it's a bit of a vice. But I've always been drawn to games of probability."

"Little sneak's a card-counter," Jake grumbles.

"A really good one!" Grace adds.

"Speaking of which, I'm out on this hand. I've got absolutely nothing."

"Me too," Grace agrees.

"Well, that just leaves you and me, Heisman. Ready to tango?"

Sean grins. "I'm always ready."

Aleister rolls his eyes. "Good lord, just get a room already."

"Preferrably mine," I add. Grace snorts.

Jake picks up his hand to examine it and slides his chips into the middle. "I'm all in."

Sean whistles. "Damn. Big move."

"Only kind of move I make," Jake replies, winking at me.

"What do you think, Alodia?" Sean asks. "Should I call?"

"Go for it."

"You sure?"

"If you call and lose, hey, at least you got to go out a hero. But do you really want to live your whole life wondering if Jake pulled a fast one on you?"

"Well, damn. When you put it like that...I call." He pushes his chips forward and flips his cards. "Three of a kind."

"Decent hand," Jake concedes. "Too bad I've got a full house."

"Damn. You don't bluff, do you?"

"Nope. Except when I do."

The doors to the casino swing open, catching our attention. Raj comes rushing in.

"Everyone stop everything! I've discovered something really important!"

"A way to get the hell off this island?" Jake asks.

"Or how to find my father's facility?" Aleister adds.

"The true nature of this island and possibly reality itself?" Grace suggests. Raj frowns.

"Okay, I'm realizing we may have different definitions of important."

I can't help grinning. "This is about partying, isn't it?"

"Dudes! Dudettes! Dudelings! Doodlejumps! Do any of you realize what day it is?"

"Uh...some time in December, right?" Sean says uncertainly.

Grace hums thoughtfully. "If it was the morning of June 6th, and we lost 204 days, plus four days since..." She gasps. "It's New Years' Eve!"

"It's New Ye—Aw, man, Grace beat me to it."

"Wow...seriously?"

"How strange," Aleister remarks. "If we skipped six months, I suppose I missed a birthday."

"We missed your birthday?!" Grace squeals. "I forgot to give you a birthday hug!" She wraps her arms around him, squeezing tightly. Aleister blushes.

"Oh! Um..."

"I'm sorry I didn't get you a gift."

"To be frank, I believe that was the best gift I've gotten in as long as I can remember."

"I bet a bunch of us missed our B-days!" Raj says. "I know I didn't get to rage for mine. And that means there's only one thing we can do..."

"Accept that time is largely a superficial construct?" Aleister asks wryly.

"Nah, dude! We throw the mother of all New Year's parties and celebrate every birthday we missed at once!"

"Let's do it!" Grace cheers.

"Heck, I'm in," Sean agrees.

"Tonight!" Raj says. "Midnight. Champagne. Dancing. Food. Music. And a special surprise!"

I laugh. "You really live for this, don't you?"

Raj grins at me, winking. "Every second of every day!"

As the sun sets behind the mountain range, my friends and I finish setting up the party in the lounge of the Elysian Lodge. Craig walks in, armed with buckets of champagne bottles.

"Yo! I found all this bubbly! No ice to chill it, though. I'm goin' outside to get some-" Murphy interrupts him with an indignant yip. He exhales, and a frigid wind instantly coats the bottles in frost. Craig laughs. "Aw, noice! High-five!"

He holds out a hand, and Murphy raises a paw to touch his palm. I pick Murphy up and nuzzle him.

"You are the smartest little fella in the world, aren't you?"

"Okay, party people!" Raj calls. "Here's the rundown! We're celebrating missed birthdays for me, Aleister, Craig, Estela, Quinn, and Zahra."

Michelle clears her throat. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Seriously, Raj!" I cry indignantly. "Michelle's birthday is literally today! Oh, and mine is tomorrow while we're at it!"

He laughs. "I was just getting to you two, promise! Technically, we haven't missed either of yours yet."

"Well, you'd better not!" I retort, smiling. I look around at the decorations, and notice that there are some people missing. "Hey, where are the others? I don't see Jake-"

I pause when I realize everyone's staring at the top of the staircase. I turn to look and I spot him. My mouth goes dry. Dressed in black slacks and a tuxedo vest over a crisp white shirt and tie, he smiles down at me. His shaggy hair has been neatly slicked back and combed. He carries a bag over his shoulder.

"Awfully quiet down there. Knew you couldn't start the party without me?" He descends the stairs with a grin, running his hand through his hair. "So what'd I miss?"

"Did you see the really hot guy just come down the staircase?" I quip.

"Nah," he replies. "I was distracted by someone waiting at the bottom."

At the top of the staircase, Quinn, Sean, and Estela appear, and my breath catches again. Quinn wears an elegant mermaid dress of dark blue satin and a shimmering collar necklace. Her copper hair is swept back into a twist with gleaming pearl combs, red ringlets framing her face. Sean looks as handsome as ever in a black suit and blazer. Estela's shimmering gold gown is slit up both sides, revealing her shapely legs and muscular thighs. The front of her hair is braided around her head in a crown, the rest falling in soft curls around her shoulders. A pendant hangs between her breasts, and silver hoops dangle from her ears.

"Happy New Year, everyone!" Quinn calls.

"Anything we can do to help set up?" Sean asks.

"Woah!" Craig breathes. "Estela, is that you?!"

"Of course it's me," Estela retorts. "Who else would it be?"

"You guys look great!" I exclaim. "Where'd you find the clothes?"

"Well, me, I keep a spare New Year's Eve getup at all times," Jake quips. "You know, for emergencies. ...Actually, they were in this suite Sean was rummaging around in."

"Is it too much?" Sean asks. "I dunno, I can't resist an opportunity to dress up."

"Not in the least," I assure him.

"I saved something for you, too," Jake tells me. "If you wanna be my date tonight."

He pulls out a shimmering silver-white gown from the bag over his shoulder. Michelle gasps a little.

"Oh, Alodia, you have to wear it! And you have to let me do your hair and make-up!"

"Let me help, too!" Quinn insists. "There's some beautiful jewelry she could wear, too!"

I laugh. "Okay, okay. I guess it's not every day I get to get dolled up in fancy clothes."

Michelle and Quinn usher me into one of the upstairs rooms to change. The collar of the silver-white gown is cut almost down to my navel, the bodice hugging my torso sensuously. The skirt is long and flowing, whispering when I walk. Elegant floral designs are embroidered over the bodice in white silk thread. Quinn finds me shoes, a necklace and earrings, while Michelle braids my hair back from my face to gather at the nape of my neck, and then carefully applies make-up. When she is at last satisfied that I am irresistable, she and Quinn lead me out. At the top of the staircase, Quinn clears her throat.

"Presenting Miss Alodia Chandler!" The others turn to appraise their handiwork.

"Well?" I say. "Don't leave me in suspense. How do I look?"

Jake grins. "You had to go and one-up me, didn't ya?"

I grin back. "You know it."

"Well-played," he says as I descend the staircase. "Pretty sure I still win, though."

"How do you figure that?"

He catches me around the waist and pulls me close. "Because I get to look at you."

"Impressive, Alodia," Aleister remarks. "You almost look dignified."

"And that almost sounds like an insult," I retort, smirking.

"...Perhaps, but it was not intended as such."

"You look gorgeous, Allie," Diego says firmly. "Come on, everyone. Raj is setting up music in the parlor."

We all file into the parlor, where Raj has plugged his phone into the speaker system. Upbeat dance music pumps from the stereo.

"Let the festivities begin!" he calls.

"Man, time flies," Craig remarks. "Can't believe it's been a year already."

"...Craig," Zahra says flatly. "It hasn't."

"Who's for a toast?" Jake calls.

"Considering that I will not be able to survive this party sober," Michelle quips, "yeah. Drink please."

"What are we having?" Estela asks.

Jake grins at me. "Wanna pick, Princess?" I carefully examine my choices, and select an aged whiskey. "I like the way you think." He pours out four glasses.

Estela makes a face. "It smells like sawdust. Who drinks this?"

"Only people who want to look tough," Michelle says with distaste.

"That ain't it," Jake protests. "There's an art to whiskey. The key to appreciating it is-"

"Getting it over with," Estela says flatly. "Cheers." She clinks her glass against mine and throws back the shot, wincing. I snort.

"That bad, huh?"

"It burns," she growls. "...Pour me another."

"Looks like whiskey's got a new fan, y'all," Jake quips. We raise our glasses and toast.

"So the Vaanti don't celebrate anything like this at all?" I hear Diego ask.

"A new year?" Varyyn answers. "Of course not."

"You're missing out, my man!" Raj declares. "New Year's parties are the dopest parties."

"To mark the passage of time is a fruitless effort. It is time that marks the passing of us."

"...Was that deep?" Diego asks. "I can't tell."

"What I mean is that time is infinite," Varyyn explains. "Counting it is like...like..."

"Like counting grains of sand on a beach?" Grace supplies.

"Yes. You could do it, but to what end?"

"It's not really about counting the years for the world, Varyyn," Lila protests. "It's about what you as a person did with your year. And what you'll do with the next one."

"I agree with Lila," I chime in. "The new year is about celebrating how you've been changed by everything you've experienced over the past year. Appreciating the joys, processing the sorrows and resolving to be a better you in the year to come."

"Yes!" Lila says. "Exactly. People change little by little every year. We grow. That's a beautiful thing worth celebrating."

"Everyone had their own reasons to celebrate, though," I add.

Varyyn seems to consider our words. "Perhaps then, I have my own reason to celebrate, as well."

"What's that?" Diego asks.

"I will celebrate to remind myself that every end is a beginning...except for the last one."

Diego blinks. "...Uh..."

"Hey, any reason's a good reason, dude!" Raj declares. "Now let me tell you about the incredible invention of sunglasses that have the year on them!"

While Raj explains tacky sunglasses to a fascinated elyyshar, I wander over to the couch where Quinn, Craig, and Sean relax with drinks and slip into a seat.

"Do you know," Quinn muses, "I've never really made a New Year's resolution before?"

"Really? Never?"

"No. I guess I never really saw the point while I was sick."

"But now you've got your whole life ahead of you. What do you wanna do with it?"

"I've got no idea! It's weird to think where we'll be a year from now. Like, if it's New Year's now and we all missed our first half of senior year...then we'll all be graduates in a year."

"Wow, I didn't think about that," Sean says. "All of us, out in the real world..."

"Heh," Craig grunts. "Yeah..."

"Well, my resolution is to graduate and get drafted with my best friend here," Sean declares, clapping Craig on the shoulder. I take an awkward sip of my drink.

"Well...mine's just to, uh...really just to have the best senior year ever," Craig mumbles.

"Hmm." Quinn taps her lips thoughtfully. "Oh! I have one! I resolve to get my parents back together! Should be a piece of cake, now that they won't have to fight over their sick daughter."

"Woah!" Craig exclaims. "Well...good luck, Q. If anyone can do it, it's you."

"How about you, Alodia?" Sean asks.

I am quiet for a very long time. The ice in my whiskey glass is well melted by now. I look around at the trio around me, then let my eyes wander to the rest of my friends. Diego and Varyyn, looking at each other with an unmistakeable sparkle in their eyes...Jake and Estela playing bartender together...Raj and Zahra coming over to join them...Grace getting cozy with Aleister in front of the fire...Michelle and Lila talking animatedly over by the piano where Murphy sits curled up on the bench. I feel my throat getting tight as my heart swells with affection, and my stomach knots with dread. I have not for a moment forgotten those eleven graves...

"...I resolve to hold onto what matters," I say softly. "Craig, I think you especially inspired me to focus on now. On what's important."

"Me? Really? That's actually pretty cool of you to say..."

The night rolls on. Before long, it is eleven o'clock, and the thudding dance music is swapped out for Aleister, his graceful fingers charming out a delicate melody from the piano. As he transitions seamlessly to "Auld Lang Syne," Michelle starts to sing: "Should old aquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind..."

Her voice is a clear, beautiful soprano, and Aleister infuses each note with delicate emotion. We all go silent as we listen. I feel Jake's arms cinch around my waist from behind.

"...And there's a hand, my trusted friend...and give us a hand o' thine...And we'll take a right good-will draught...for auld lang syne..."

The whole group bursts into applause. Tears flow unchecked from my eyes. Aleister takes Michelle's hand, and they bow together. Jake reaches over to pat Aleister on the back.

"Not bad, Schroeder. Didn't know you had it in you."

"That was beautiful!" Grace agrees.

I am grateful to see that I'm not the only one crying. Raj is also wiping tears from his eyes.

"Just...beautiful..." he sniffs. Then he gasps. "Oh my god! I completely forgot! We haven't sung Happy Birthday! Back on the keys!"

Michelle sighs. "No one ever sounds good singing Happy Birthday," she gripes.

"That's exactly why I like it!" I laugh. "I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but when it comes to Happy Birthday, neither can anyone else!"

"Are we even allowed to sing it?" Diego asks. "I thought it was copyrighted-"

"Who's gonna stop us, bro?" Craig laughs. "Unless...Dude, does Rourke own the rights to Happy Birthday? That'd be his most evil plan yet!"

"Everybody remember whose birthdays we're doing?" Raj asks. A chorus of uncertain groans answers him. "That's okay, just follow my lead! We'll wing it!"

Aleister plays a chord, and we all do our best to find the key. When we get to the line, "Happy Birthday, dear..." Raj begins pointing to each of us in succession, and we manage to stammer out the names in relative harmony, "Aleister, Craig, Quinn, Michelle, Estela, Raj, Zahra, Alodia...!" We finish the song with a flourish and an off-key chorus of, "Happy Birthday to yooooooooou!"

"Guys, that was flawless!" Raj cries. "Best birthday song ever!"

"Take that, Rourke!" Craig cheers. There is an enthusiastic round of hugs and pats on the back. That's when I notice Lila wandering outside onto the snow-covered patio. A light snowfall shines under the moonlight, dancing around her.

Perhaps I should leave her to her thoughts, but I am feeling overwhelmingly sentimental. I slip out of the group, wrap a blanket around my shoulders, and step outside. Lila stands alone, gazing up at the night sky with a champagne glass in her hand.

"...Lila?"

"Oh...hi, Alodia." She shakes her head. "Sorry, I'm just...having a moment to myself. Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything you've done. You're just here because it's your job. But you've risked your life to save us again and again. We'd never have made it if it wasn't for you." I hold out my hand to shake hers. "Thank you. Seriously."

"Oh! I mean..." She presses her lips together, her eyes shimmering with tears. She reaches out to shake my hand.

Pain lances through my head as my world flashes white...

 _… I'm standing in the same spot, but at another point in time. The scene around me is sepia-toned. The music of a live string band washes over me from inside the resort, where dozens of Rourke employees mingle in expensive suits and gowns. Lila is not beside me, but I can see her emerging from the building. A few years younger, perhaps, but it's her. She walks through the snow towards an elegantly dressed man staring out at the horizon._

 _"Admiring the view, Mr. Rourke?"_

 _"The stars, the snow, the dazzling lights...Truly, this island is unlike anything in the world."_

 _"It is certainly something special."_

 _"If only you knew..."_

 _Lila shifts a little. "You...wanted to see me, Mr. Rourke?"_

 _"I did indeed." He turns to smile at her. "I've been reading your reports from the field. Remarkable work, especially on Expedition Zeta. Protecting my shipment from raiders in the Red Sea, refusing to abandon ship? That takes dedication."_

 _"Protecting the shipment was my job, sir. I take my job seriously."_

 _"Mmm. Funny thing, that. You're not the strongest security officer on the force. Or the brightest. Or the most resourceful." Lila frowns, clearly hoping there's a 'but' coming. "...But you might just be the bravest, most loyal person I've ever employed. Everywhere I go, rivals seek to undermine me. Sycophants seek to elevate themselves. But you...you're different. So tell me. Why? Why are you so faithful?"_

 _Lila blinks. "I...that is...I mean..." She bites her lip. "I haven't had the easiest life, sir. I lost my whole family when I was little. The foster home was...it was bad. Really bad. Being a teen wasn't a lot better. I got mixed up with the wrong people. I hurt people. I stole things."_

 _"Mmm. I see."_

 _"I ended up on the streets at 18. That's when your recruiter found me. Offered me the job of my dreams. I assumed it was too good to be true, but it didn't matter. I'd given up. I figured I'd die somewhere along the way, and no one would know or care. But then I met you, sir. I learned about the world you want to make." Tears glisten in her eyes and slip down her cheeks. "I believe, sir. I believe in you. I believe what you're doing here, what you're creating, will make a better future. A better tomorrow. Your project, this island...you're fixing the world. Saving every little girl like me."_

 _Rourke reaches out and tenderly brushes the tears off Lila's cheeks. She sniffles._

 _"...All I ever wanted was to have something to live for," she whispers. "You've given me that."_

 _"I'm moved. Truly. And that's not something I say often." He puts his hands on her shoulders. "I asked you this question because I might have a job for you."_

 _"...Sir?"_

 _"A man in my position sometimes requires...a special assistant. Someone unafraid to do what needs to be done. Someone who doesn't blink. If you accept, you'll be sent dangerous places. You'll be given challenging assignments. You will turn your body into a weapon. When necessary, you'll stain your hands with the blood of those who wish to ruin everything we've worked for. But I can only trust you if you trust me absolutely. Unquestioningly." He grips her shoulders and looks into her eyes. "So. Do you?"_

 _Lila stares into his eyes as if hypnotized. "...Yes, Mr. Rourke," she whispers. "I do."_

… In the present I gasp, yanking my hand out of Lila's. She blinks at me.

"What's wrong?"

I swallow, shaking my head. "Nothing, I...just..." I force a smile. "Sorry. Just...cold hands, that's all."

She grins. "Well, I've always said I'm cold-blooded!"

I stare at her a moment. I'm saved from answering by Raj poking his head outside. "Hey, you two, there's just a few minutes to midnight!"

"Does this mean its time for your 'special surprise'?"

"The one I'm sure is perfectly safe and have no reason at all to worry about?" Lila quips.

"Mmmm...more or less. Come on, everyone's up on the roof! Bring your champagne!"

There is a hot tub up on the rooftop deck where my friends are gathered to ring in the New Year.

"Hurry! It's about to go down!"

"Ha!" Craig says with a grin. "They ain't ready for the master plan!"

"Uh, guys, what is all this?" Michelle asks warily, looking at a series of red chemical sticks lined up along the roof edge.

"Are these flares?!" Jake cries, sounding horrified.

"Yeah!" Raj says, oblivious to his tone. "One of those Arachnid commando dudes dropped a bag full of 'em!"

"Me and Raj had the idea to use them as fireworks!" Craig announces.

"So right now, we're hiding here from a death squad of highly trained, highly equipped mercenaries," Estela points out, pinning her gaze on Raj and Craig, "and your plan is to shoot off a bunch of flares over our location."

Raj and Craig gape at her for a moment, and then exchange a glance.

"Okay," Craig concedes, "when you put it like that, I can see there's a flaw in the master plan."

Raj sighs. "Aw, okay. Sorry guys. No fireworks this year..." He puts his hands in his pockets, turning for the stairs, when Grace's voice stops him.

"Wait! Look!"

In the distance, the mountain range is lighting up in shimmering colors, pulsing between a warm red and a brilliant blue.

"What is that?" Sean breathes.

"Jake!" I exclaim. "Didn't we see this before...?"

"Sure did. In the airstrip control tower, right after we landed."

"Ah, the Lights of Vaanu," Varyyn says. "They are very beautiful. My people believe they are a sign of good fortune to come."

"Hell, we could use some of that," Jake quips.

"You know what," Grace remarks. "I think it's the Doppler effect!"

"Doppler?" Craig asks. "Like Weather Channel stuff?"

"When something, like a distant star for instance, moves really fast toward you, it tints blue from the change in the light's wavelength."

"Ahh, yes," Aleister agrees. "And it tints red when it moves away from you."

"But the mountains aren't moving," Estela points out.

"No, but if time is dilating or contracting between us...then relativity could have the same effect!"

"Huh...so that's what that was, back at the airstrip." Jake grins at me. "I don't know about you, Alodia, but I'm gonna stick with Blue's Clues over here. I want that good luck."

"Well, it's not fireworks," Raj says, "But it's close enough for me. Fifteen seconds to midnight!"

I sidle up to Jake, slipping my hand into his. "Mind if I join you?"

"I was hoping you would," he replies.

"Ten!" Raj calls out, and we all join him for the rest of the countdown. "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! ...Happy New Year!"

Jake pulls me close and cups my cheek in his palm, kissing me deeply. I wrap my arms around his neck, shivers racing up my spine in spite of the heat that floods my senses. He pulls back slightly and smiles at me.

"Happy New Year, Princess."

"...Happy New Year, Top Gun. ...Who the hell needs flares when you and I make our own fireworks?"

"Every damn time," he agrees, pulling me into another kiss. When this one breaks, I nestle into his arms, letting him cradle my head against his chest. Nearby, Varyyn and Diego watch the lights together.

"So...these mean good luck, huh?"

"Yes," Varyyn says. "And I know they are always true."

"How?"

Varyyn turns to face him. "...This tradition of yours. Kissing at midnight."

Diego blushes. "Well...it's not, like, _my_ tradition..."

"...May I kiss you, Diego?"

Diego barely manages a nod, grinning goofily. Varyyn leans in, tenderly brushing Diego's mouth with his.

"Woo!" Raj cheers. "You go, Diego! Get it!"

"Ow, _ow_!" I whoop.

"Jake, I'm counting on you to shut her up!" Diego calls, not even looking back at me as he goes for a second kiss.

"With pleasure!" Jake obliges, capturing my mouth with his again.

"Peace, he stops her mouth," Aleister quips, then turns to Grace. "Grace? I was curious if-"

Grace throws her arms around Aleister, rises up on her tiptoes, and cuts off his question with a kiss. He startles a little, but quickly relaxes into it. When she finally lets him go, she grins at him, her eyes dancing mischievously.

"I like when you're curious."

Zahra and Craig sit side-by-side on the edge of the hot tub, dangling their bare legs in the bubbling jets.

"Look at all these dorks making out," Zahra mutters.

"Heh. Yeah. Who does that?"

"Dumb people, that's who."

"So dumb."

They look at each other, faces close, holding each other's gaze for a long moment.

"Ah, screw it," Zahra finally says, taking Craig's face in her hands and pulling him in for a long kiss.

"I knew it!" Sean cries, laughing. "I freaking knew this would happen!"

"Okay, more champange all around!" Raj declares. "Time for another toast!"

Several more toasts follow. As the group mingles and drifts, I find myself alone with Diego, watching the ethereal, entrancing lights.

"God, what a night, huh?"

"You said it," he agrees. Then his voice drops to a conspiritorial whisper. "But you know, it's not over yet."

I snort. "I know that voice. You've got an idea."

"When we were exploring the lodge earlier, I found this amazing, cozy bedroom. With a really, really nice bed, if you catch my drift."

I playfully shove him. "Your drift is honestly hard to miss at this point."

"Okay, okay. I'm obvious. So I'll not try to be coy. You should take Jake and make a kinky night of it. Ring in the New Year right."

"Me? What about you and Varyyn?"

"...Allie, we've known each other for six months, and we've only just had our first kiss. I'm not sure we're gonna be doing much more than that tonight."

"Oh, come on. With the time I lost, I've really only known Jake a little over a week. Hell, you were nudging me to make a move after...what? Five days? Six?"

He kisses my cheek, a brotherly gesture. "Yeah, but I know your style. Fast suits you, and I kinda think it suits him, too. And you know me. I'm much more of a wilting flower."

I snort again, but I know he's right. "And Varyyn is a gentleman who is going to court you slowly."

"Exactly. Besides, it is your birthday. Don't worry about me and Varyyn. We don't need the honeymoon suite. I'll leave that to my lovely sister and her stud fighter pilot boyfriend."

I throw my arms around Diego, giving him a firm squeeze. "God, I love you, Diego."

"Love you back, Allie. Now go. Before you get too buzzed on champagne."

After getting directions from Diego, I sidle up to Jake and slip my hand into his. "...Come with me."

"Where we going?"

"It's a surprise."

He grins. "Hopefully not, because I have high hopes for something in particular."

I lead him to the room, following Diego's directions carefully. I open the door and flip on the lights, revealing a gleaming, elegant suite with hardwood floors, chandeliers, a hot tub in the bathroom, a rug spread in front of a natural gas fireplace, and queen-sized canopy bed. I let out a low whistle.

"...Diego wasn't kidding about this room."

"Diego?"

"Yeah. Said he found this room exploring earlier." I smile coquettishly. "He advised me to bring you back here. Thought we might find some use for it."

"Goddamn, that boy must _really_ love you." He reaches around to lightly pinch my bottom, making me squeak. "...Or me."

I snort in mock indignantion, making a show of sticking my nose in the air as I saunter over to the fireplace. I flick the switch and the fire roars to life, casting red-gold tongues of light over the walls and the shining floors.

"Mmm. That's cozy." I turn to face Jake, who has paused by the nightstand. He opens the drawer. "Anything interesting in there?"

"Just a dusty old notepad. ...There is something written on it, though." He pulls it out and reads. " 'Regarding the new junior researcher: I feel like I recognize her from somewhere. Do another background check and get me her history. -E'."

"E for Everett, I'd guess." Jake sets the note aside and pulls me close, kissing me deeply. My hands move up his arms, feeling the hard muscle beneath his sleeves. "You seem tense, Top Gun. Let me help."

I guide him to sit on the bed and climb up behind him, massaging his shoulders. He groans rapturously as I feel him release beneath my fingertips.

"Hot damn, Princess, you're a miracle worker. You should do this for a living."

I kiss his cheek. "You stressed about your old team showing up?"

"Not exactly a happy reunion," he concedes. He brings a hand up to cover mine. "But like I said, I'll handle 'em. That's a promise."

"A Jake McKenzie Guarantee?"

"At the very least, if I go down, I'm taking the lot of 'em with me."

I freeze as the impact of his words hits me. Jake turns around when he feels me stop and draws me into his arms. I hold him tightly, laying my head on his shoulder.

"...Stay alive for me, Jake. I mean it. Don't do anything stupid. Please."

"I won't—"

"Jake." My voice is soft but firm. I hear him exhale slowly.

"...All right. I won't. That's a Jake McKenzie Guarantee, too." He pulls back to face me, the light of the fire dancing in his eyes. He smiles. "...You know, you're wearing entirely too much clothing right now."

"Someone should fix that. ...But you know, so are you."

We lock eyes for a moment. Then we come together in our usual frenzy, pulling at each other's clothes, barely pausing for breath. I yank off his tie and belt. He finds the clasp of my dress and slips it open, peeling it off my shoulders. I tug open the buttons on his shirt and push it off his shoulders with the vest still over it. As we shed the last of our underclothes, Jake starts to lay me down, but I flip over to straddle him. He grins at me.

"So this is how it's gonna go, huh?"

I don't answer. I kiss him hard, twining my hands with his and reaching back towards the bed posts. Before he quite realizes what's happening, I've secured one of his hands to the bedposts with his tie. And before he can stop me, I get the other one with his belt. I smile wickedly down at him.

"No touching. Yet."

He grins. "Oh, you're so bad. Did I know about this side of you?"

"I hope not. I'd like to think I haven't run out of surprises this quickly."

"Just so you know, my safeword is 'pumpkins'."

"Duly noted." I straddle his pelvis and sink onto him. We lock eyes as I rock my hips. He gasps, his body quivering under mine.

"Holy..." His hands strain against his bonds, eager to feel me. He moves under me, trying to speed up. I can't hold back a mischievous smile as I resist his speed, moving agonizingly slowly. He groans. "Ohh, babe, this is torture."

"Good."

He closes his eyes, moaning, focusing on the feeling, giving into it. "This is too intense. You're too good-"

"Don't hold back. We've got time to recharge." I rock a little faster, and feel myself starting to peak as he shudders beneath me.

"Oh, God! I-" He suddenly grins at me. "Gotcha!"

Before I quite realize what's happening, Jake has flipped me over, somehow freed of his his bonds.

"Hey! How did you-"

He grins down at me. "My secret." He holds up his tie, his eyes twinkling. "You want a turn?"

"Oh, I think I've earned it," I reply, batting my eyelashes. He laughs and twines his hands in mine. His mouth moves against my neck, roaming down my collarbone to my breasts, then down my belly, and then to my pubis. I arch my back as I feel myself peaking again.

We rock and moan and gasp and cry out together in the firelight until we're both spent. Then, slick with sweat and sex, we curl up together between the sheets. Sleep finds us both quickly after that, but I can't seem to hold onto it for long.

Amidst the orgasm-induced dreams of peace and pleasure, the dragon-shaped mouth of a cave continues to creep into my mind. The cave and the eleven mounds of dirt concealed within. I cannot seem to shake the image. And much worse than the image are the thoughts that come with it. Diego. Jake. Quinn. Grace. Estela. Sean. Zahra. Craig. Michelle. Aleister. Raj. Everything I love about them flown, only their empty shells left behind. Left behind to rot in that cave in shallow graves, dug by the last one left alive...

I awake with a cry, bolting upright. Jake sits up sharply beside me, grasping my shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he demands, frantic but still groggy. "Are you all right?"

I struggle to control my breathing and calm my racing heart. "I'm okay...I'm fine..." I gasp. "Just a bad dream..."

I lie down again, tugging him down with me. He replaces his head on the pillow, drawing me into his arms.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No," I say more firmly than I intended. "I mean...not right now. Not yet."

He is quiet for a moment. Then he kisses the top of my head. "Okay. If you say so, Princess. Let me know if you change your mind." I nod, laying my head on his chest. He strokes my hair gently, but within a few minutes, his hand slows and drops onto my shoulder as he drifts off again. I lie awake beside him until the sky outside begins to turn gray with the first rays of sunlight. Carefully, I slip out of his embrace. Finding a pen beside the notepad in the drawer, I scrawl a quick note to place on the pillow beside him: _Went for some breakfast. Find me when you wake up. -Alodia._

Covering myself with a robe, I find the room where I changed the night before and grab a quick shower before changing back into the yoga pants and sweatshirt I left there. By the time I wander down to the kitchen, there's still no one up. I make quick work of a couple pieces of sourdough toast spread with butter and jam, wash them down with some orange juice, and wander out into the front lobby. Most everything is how we left it upon arriving the night before. My backpack full of the catalyst idols is untouched in the corner. I look at it for a moment before turning away. I'm not in the mood to think about them right now. I flick on the fireplace and remove my shoes. Finding the space sufficient, I take myself through a workout, warming up, stretching, and then running beam routines, using the border of the rug as a guide.

I've just landed an aerial series when I hear a voice behind me: "What are you doing, Alodia?" I turn to see Varyyn watching me curiously. I blot a light sweat from my forehead, lifting my left foot to roll my ankle.

"Gymnastics. Diego mentioned I used to do gymnastics, right?"

"Ahh, yes. You would compete in games with gymnastics, yes?"

"That's right. We would have to put together routines on a bunch of different apparatuses to show off our skills."

"Apparatuses?"

"Yeah, like the balance beam, which is a really narrow beam about this high off the floor," I demonstrate the dimensions with my hands, "And we'd have to do these tricks while balancing on it. That was my best event."

"I can see why you were able to defeat us at quuk'tanoi," he says wryly. "Such feats are quite impressive."

"Heh. Thanks." I pause. "...Where's Diego?"

"He is having a bath before breakfast."

"I see." I am quiet a moment. "...Did you enjoy yourself last night?"

"I did. Very much. It was an experience quite unlike any I had ever had before."

"Hey, Varyyn...I don't know how much Diego's told you about me, or our relationship with each other..."

"He has told me that you are his dearest friend," Varyyn replies solemnly, almost reverently, it seems to me. "That you are like his sister. He has told me that you were children together. He has told me that you are kind and courageous and intelligent and loyal. ...He speaks of you with a great deal of love."

"And I love him. Very much." I sigh. "...The thing is, Varyyn, you kissed him last night. And if you're going to be involved with my best friend, you and I need to be on the same page. That is...we need to understand each other. Otherwise, we're likely to come into conflict and make things difficult for Diego. And I'm sure neither of us want that."

Varyyn pins me with a steady gaze. "...Are you and I in conflict, Alodia?"

I meet his gaze unflinchingly. "The night you and your warriors attacked The Celestial was not as long ago for me and the other Catalysts as it was for you and Diego. For us, it was less than a week ago. ...And that night, I watched you kill the man I'm falling in love with."

...It's the first time I've said it to anyone, and I'm saying it to my best friend's new boyfriend. But I can't think about that right now. Diego is my priority right now. Protecting him from heartache, whether it comes from Varyyn or from me. My words seem to shake Varyyn's composure. His eyes widen.

"But...I...I didn't kill anyone..." He trails off. One hand drifts up to the hollow of his throat, where a blue stone was once nestled. "...Oh. I see..."

"The first time you broke through the window of my room, you caught us unawares. ...I had been in bed with Jake. He fought you. Trying to protect me. As you rolled over the carpet, he was impaled by a particularly large shard of glass from the window. He was dead in about two minutes or so. It was an accident, and I think you were sorry for it, but still. I went for you. I grabbed the stone around your neck."

"...And it undid the damage," he says softly. "...Thank you for doing so."

"I didn't know what I was doing. All I knew was that my heart was breaking and you were the cause." He winces, but I keep going. "Time was reversed and Jake was saved, but I could still remember how it felt to have him bleed out in my arms. ...And before the night was over, you broke my heart again. You took my best friend from me. You took him from me for three days. And you took _me_ from _him_ for six months. ...I don't think you need to imagine how that hurt him. ...I expect you could see it."

"...Yes," he concedes. "I could see. ...Do you wish me not to kiss him again?"

"No. That isn't what I'm saying. I can tell you care about him, and he cares about you. I think you two could work well together. ...But like I said, we need to understand each other. For Diego's sake. And so, I need you to understand that you hurt me in ways I find hard to forgive. And that the wounds are fresher than you might remember. ...Also, I find it very awkward that we're psychically linked. But I think that's the least of my concerns. ...What I really want you to know is that if you ever mistreat him—if you ever betray him or do him harm—I will use that psychic link to destroy you from the inside out."

"I will never hurt him!" Varyyn says fiercely. "I would never! I could never!"

I shake my head. "Don't say that. Because people who love each other can still hurt each other. And I can forgive little hurts. Sharp words, small inconsiderate actions...those are mistakes everyone makes. And those I can forgive. But don't make an enemy of me, Varyyn. I love Diego more than I have ever loved another person. Most of the world doesn't appreciate him nearly enough. Love him, protect him, cherish him. Do that, and you will have my undying friendship. But if you betray him or do him harm, that friendship is forfeit. Instantly."

Varyyn digests my words, and then nods solemnly. "...I understand, Alodia. I do not doubt the sincerity of your warning. Nor do I resent you making yourself clear. Your love and loyalty do you great credit."

"...Is there anything you wish me to know?"

"Only that I have the utmost respect and admiration for you. ...And that I appreciate Diego more every day that I am with him. ...When he grieved for you these past six months, that grief was very painful to me, moreso because I knew that I was the cause. ...I am not ignorant of the hurt I caused you both. I do not imagine it is forgotten, or even forgiven. ...But I do wish for us to be friends. Not just you and I, but all the Vaanti and Catalysts."

"...I want that, too."

"...Alodia?"

I look up at the sound of Estela's voice. She stands in the lobby archway, a sheet of paper in her hand. I am immediately struck by something in the curve of her shoulders, the way her eyes scan the lobby. There is an unusual anxiety in her posture, a vulnerability I am not used to seeing.

"Estela. What's up?"

"I...wondered if I might speak to you privately for a moment." Her voice wobbles just slightly. Concern makes my heart beat a bit faster.

"...Yeah. Of course." I get up to follow her. Instinctively, I grab the bag with the idols and the Island's Heart on my way out.

Estela leads me in silence for awhile, up the staircase to the second floor. Then she stops and shows me the paper in her hands. "I found it. My mother's room. She was here on New Year's six years ago. Room 278." She nods down the hall. "It's just down that way."

"...Have you been inside yet?"

She looks away. "...I don't want to go alone," she confesses softly.

"Say no more."

Together, we approach room 278, pausing in front of the door. Estela reaches into her pocket and takes out a keycard. I gently take her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

"...Are you with me?" she asks, her voice trembling.

"All the way," I assure her.

"...All the way."

She swipes the card. The door blinks green, and she pushes the door open. We step into a standard hotel room, neatly made up, and smelling faintly of dust and cleansers. The carpet is soft and blue, the walls covered with a carefully neutral beige is just a little chilly, with the curtains open over a large window that overlooks the snowy mountains beyond. I glance over at Estela. Her expression is unreadable.

"...Huh..." she sighs.

"...What is it?"

"...I thought I'd feel something. Anything. But..." She sits down on the bed. The springs creak under her weight. "...Nothing."

"...Estela..."

"Wait! What the hell is that?"

I follow her gaze off the bed to a spot on the wall, where a familiar sigil has been burned into the beige-painted drywall. Draco. The Dragon. Estela's Hadean zodiac sign.

"Estela! That's your rune sign!"

"Yeah...Draco." She gets up and moves towards the burned-in symbol, grazing it with her fingertips. "...When they cleaned up the room after my mother died, they would have painted over this."

"...Which means, it had to have been made long after," I finish. "But what does it mean? Why is it here?"

"I think it's marking something. Something hidden." She frowns for a moment, then experimentally presses down against the wall. There's a loud series of clicks that makes me jump. And then a panel springs open around the rune, revealing a hidden camera.

"...Did...did your mother...?"

"I...don't know..." Estela admits. Then she sets her jaw. "But I'm going to find out." She reaches into the back of the camera and unhooks a flash drive. She marches over to the television set, searches for the correct port, and slips in the flash drive.

"Hang on, Estela, maybe we should wait and-" But Estela has already turned on the television and loaded the video file with a few clicks of the remote. An image flickers up on the screen, showing the same room we're standing in, but from the angle of the camera concealed in the wall. The date at the bottom reads: _2011 Dec 31_.

A woman sits on the bed. She looks just like Estela, but older, with a shorter haircut and fewer scars. Estela trembles beside me.

"...Mom...?" she whispers. I grasp her hand, silently lending my support.

"How did it go?" Olivia Montoya asks on the screen. A second woman enters the frame and takes a seat next to her.

"He did it, Olivia," Lila says. "He offered me the job. I'm gonna be his special assistant."

Olivia sighs, a relieved smile crossing her face. "Yes! Now you're free to come and go from La Huerta as you please. You can go out in the world and spread the truth. Maybe you can even smuggle me out of here."

Lila shifts uncertainly. "About that...are you sure you want to do this?"

"Lila, I told you what his plans are. What he's been doing. All the people he's hurt... _killed_."

Olivia reaches into her bag and pulls out something that looks like a thumb drive.

"This is everything?" Lila asks.

"All the evidence I've gathered so far, yes. Everything he's really doing here. Everything he plans to do."

"...Such a small thing..." Lila murmurs.

"But big enough. You just need to get it to a journalist."

"I'm scared for you, Olivia," Lila confesses. "You ask me to do this, there's no turning back."

Olivia pulls Lila into a hug. I can see her expression over Lila's shoulder, quietly determined. She looks just like her daughter...

"Come on, Lila. We both know there was never any turning back."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

A sudden, sharp _bang_ nearly breaks the TV's speakers. Estela and I jump, gripping each others' hands. Olivia's expression registers shock. She pulls back, revealing a red stain spreading over her stomach. I can just make out the pistol in Lila's hand.

"...I'm sorry, Olivia."

Olivia clutches the wound, slumping to her knees beside the bed. "Lila...how...could you...?"

Lila stands, pressing the barrel of her pistol to Olivia's forehead. "I told you to stop. I begged you. Why did you have to betray him?" Lila looks away and squeezes the trigger again. Estela's mother crumples beside the bed, and lies still. The video stops there. Estela and I sit in stunned silence, staring at the screen.

"Oh my god..." I finally whisper. "Lila...she...it...was..."

Beside me, Estela's fingers curl into fists. Her breath comes out in sharp hisses through gritted teeth. I place a trembling hand on hers.

We hear footsteps, and glance up sharply. Lila appears in the doorway, a tray of eggs and pancakes in her hands. She smiles brightly.

"Good morning, you two. I made everyone some breakfast..." she trails off as her eyes drift to the TV screen, freeze framed on her standing over Olivia's body. Her expression goes cold. She stands perfectly still, the tray still in her hands. Her eyes slide from the screen back to Estela.

Outside the Elysian Lodge, the peace of the mountain forest is destroyed by shattering glass, and a howl of fury from a wounded dragon...

 _The Jungle_

 _A steel blade whistles through the air. Lush green ferns part under its bite, and Yvonne the Incorrigable steps through, sweat beading on her ruddy skin. Raising her cutlass, she slices through the next curtain of foliage that blocks her path and takes another step forward through the jungle._

 _This would be much more difficult if her precious Chouchou had not been returned to her. Though she might never admit it aloud, she did owe the pretty blonde child a great deal for bringing them back together. ...Not enough to make her stay and fight that sea demon, of course, but a great deal nonetheless. She feels a twinge of sorrow over the girl's certain death. She was a fierce little thing that one. Had a bit of the pirate in her. If only she weren't so...noble. So loyal._

 _She reaches into her pocket and withdraws the compass she claimed from the Jeweled Cave. Its needle wavers before settling on a point directly ahead of her. She must be almost upon it. As she pushes forward, she can see the craggy peak of Mount Atropo looming, casting its shadow over the rainforest. At long last, the jungle thins, and the ground beneath her boots turns rocky._

 _A massive dragon's head is carved into the slope of the volcano. Its maw hangs open, stairs rising between its fangs and disappearing into its throat. At last...she has found it. The Fountain is nearly in her grasp._

 _Movement at the corner of her vision catches her attention. She sinks back into the underbrush just as someone emerges from the wilderness. Her breath catches in her throat. A demonic figure, clad all in red, with its face hidden behind a bizzare dome-shaped helmet, stands before her. Its right hand is a ghastly skeletal appendage of iron, bearing a small flame above its bony palm. The figure trudges up the stairs into the cavern, tendrils of smoke billowing in its wake._

 _Yvonne narrows her eyes. Whatever this vision is, it seems bound for the same prize as she. She quietly steels after it, her footsteps light as a cat's. Within the cavern, lava pours from dragon heads, pooling and bubbling around a narrow path. Yvonne slips behind a stone pillar. This lava could prove to be a problem. Even from here, the heat stings her eyes._

 _Twelve pedestals sit in the river of lava. Beyond the end of the pathway, an open archway leads to darkness. The crimson suit walks forward to the end of the path, and keeps going. Red boots sink into the scalding red river, heedless of the danger. It keeps going, undaunted, apparently unaffected by the deadly lava. The figure pauses by the archway._

 _"...Hello, Yvonne." It's voice is inhuman. Sexless. Yvonne ducks behind the column. The figure turns back slightly, addressing her over its shoulder. "Don't be shy."_

 _"...As you wish." Yvonne lunges out from her cover, brandishing her cutlass. "I command you take me to the Fountain! I know it is here!"_

 _The figure does not respond. The orange glow of the room reflects ominously off its hellish armor._

 _"Now who is shy?" Yvonne sneers. "I said I command you to-"_

 _"You need their help, Yvonne."_

 _"...Who?"_

 _"...And they need yours."_

 _"Who needs my help? Those children?"_

 _"Go north. To the pillar." The figure steps forward into the darkness beyond the arch._

 _"Wait!" But the figure has already vanished. But its strange, inhuman voice carries back toward her._

 _"You must hurry, Yvonne. Roulez a tombeau ouvert."_

 _And then it is gone. Yvonne stands frozen for a moment. Then, she whirls around and sprints out of the cavern..._

 _Six months earlier..._

 _The Celestial_

 _"We're running out of time for a miracle!" Zahra declares, peering over the edge of The Celestial's roof. "They're almost here!"_

 _"You have approximately sixty seconds to escape," Iris confirms._

 _Lila dares to peer over the edge of the roof, gulping as she catches sight of the Hostiles scaling the tower walls. She looks back just as Alodia pulls out the portal device and raises it high._

 _"We'll use this!"_

 _"Hold on! You're talking about going through the portal ourselves?"_

 _"Alodia's right. It's the only way we all get out of here together."_

 _Lila feels her breath catch. The temporal perforator! She can't let Alodia use it. They'll lose six months! ...But she also knows she can't possibly protect them all. The temporal perforator may be their only chance to survive this._

 _Alodia pulls everyone into a tight group hug and aims the gun at her feet. Lila slinks to the edge of the group, pressing just close enough._

 _"Everyone think positive!" she calls. "Envision your goals!"_

 _"Five seconds remaining," Iris chimes._

 _"Here's to adventure, eh, Allie?" Diego smiles at his dear friend. She smiles back._

 _"Here's to adventure."_

 _Alodia pulls the trigger. A bubble of white light forms around everyone's legs. Lila drops into a crouch and rolls backwards out of the way. One...two...Her tour group vanishes safely into the blinding light. None of them notice their guide slipping behind the garden shrubbery. Three...four... Holding the second count in her head, she sets the timer on her watch. 42-squared...times ten to the fourth...17million, 640 thousand seconds. She hits start, and lays low, out of sight of the approaching Hostiles. That's when she hears shouting._

 _"Get off! Get off me!" Diego cries, anger and defiance coating fear in his voice._

 _"Turqq pha cupaa!"_

 _Lila peeks through the ferns and claps a hand to her mouth. They have Diego! The Hostiles' leader pins him down as the others fan out to search._

 _"You won't find 'em!" Diego shouts defiantly. "They're long gone! You're too late!"_

 _She has to help him. But there are too many for her to fight on her own. She'll have to find another way._

 _A massive female Hostile in bone armor shouts furiously at the leader. He answers coldly. The Hostiles bind Diego's hands and depart with him. Lila is left alone in silence. She looks down at her watch, dutifully ticking away the seconds. 17,639,952...17,639,951..._

 _"Where are you," she whispers aloud. "Where are you, Mr. Rourke?"_

 _197 days remaining..._

 _… Lila makes her way over a trecherous mountain path. Rock crumbles beneath her feet. She slips, grasping for help, but there is no one there. She only barely manages to catch the ledge and save herself..._

 _185 days remaining..._

 _… Lila punches numbers into a keyboard, and the observatory telescope realigns._

 _"Andromeda..." she mutters. "...Lupus...what does it all mean?"_

 _164 days remaining..._

 _… Lila peers over a hill through a pair of binoculars. Far below, in the shadow of the great tree village, Hostile warriors escort Diego, pushing him roughly forward._

 _"We're going! We're going!" Diego grumbles. He looks rough. Like he's lost weight. His eyes are shadowed underneath. But for now, he is still alive._

 _"Going," the old shaman grunts. "Yes. Search. Now."_

 _132 days remaining..._

 _Lila races through the jungle back towards the resort. She has been to see Diego again, stayed longer than she should have. He was sick. She had to make sure he recovered before she could go back. Hearing movement behind her, she pauses._

 _"M-Mr. Rourke?" she whimpers, barely daring to hope. She turns around. Though the ferns, she spots lizard-like eyes and a row of razor-sharp teeth. As the creature pounces, Lila draws a knife..._

 _100 days remaining..._

 _Lila stands in the bathroom of a guest room at The Celestial, gritting her teeth as she scrubs at the wounds on her abdomen. They've grown infected over the last month as she made her slow, painful way back to the resort from the Hostiles' village. She doesn't dare use the plants on the rooftop before the fever breaks. That would only seal the infection inside. In a trembling hand, she picks up the bottle of antisceptic and positions a rag beneath it. Biting her lip, she dribbles the stuff into the wounds, whimpering in pain._

 _87 days remaining..._

 _Somehow, she has survived. The fever has broken, and she faces a stretch of drywall in a long hallway, a sledgehammer in her hands. It has to be here. She lifts the hammer, and smashes it into the surface. A piece crumbles away, and she can make out a small section of a smooth wooden carving beneath. A door! She was right. It is here. She quivers with excitement as she raises the hammer again..._

 _80 days remaining..._

 _Sitting at the concierge desk, Lila scribbles furiously on a piece of paper, muttering to herself._

 _"Twelve letters...equals...Hadean...Zodiac...! The...runes...are...the...key...!" She sighs. "But you still have no idea what they mean, Lila. You'll never find Mr. Rourke..."_

 _"What are you writing?"_

 _Lila whips around and sees Iris' hologram floating behind her._

 _"Iris! You're not in the portal?" She blinks at her own folly. "Of course not. That's stupid, Lila."_

 _"Are you all right? You do not look well."_

 _"I'm just...lonely."_

 _"I do not understand."_

 _"You used to. You used to know what it was like to miss someone."_

 _"I have no such record."_

 _"I'm jealous. I wish I could forget like that."_

 _"Facial recognition algorithim suggests you do not mean what you say."_

 _Lila cannot answer._

 _54 days remaining..._

 _Lila limps up to the fountain in the grand atrium. She gazes up at Rourke's carved visage, and slumps to her knees. Tears trickle down her cheeks._

 _"I can't do it," she whimpers. "I can't keep going."_

 _Through a film of tears, she looks up at the placid marble face. It does not look back at her, does not acknowledge her pain._

 _"How could you leave me? After everything I did for you?"_

 _5 hours remaining..._

 _Lila steps out of the shower and dresses in her old clothes, freshly washed and mended. She looks at her hair in the mirror, newly trimmed._

 _"Good as new, Lila," she murmurs. "Good as new."_

 _30 minutes remaining..._

 _Lila sits motionless on a chair in the ballroom, watching a blank spot on the floor. She checks her watch. 00:29:42...00:29:41.._

 _In a flash of light, a Hostile warrior blinks into existence, still screaming in surprise. He goes silent and looks around, bewildered. He does not see Lila approach from behind, her feet silent. She draws a blade up to the warrior's back._

 _"I'm sorry. I can't let you warn them."_

 _30 seconds remaining..._

 _Lila gazes out at the island from the rooftop garden. Her face is cold, her expression flat and distant. The bodies of the Hostiles have been disposed of. She has applied healing plants to every wound on her body. Diego is still in the Hostiles' custody, but he is alive. Lila checks her watch: 00:00:03...00:00:02..._

 _She closes her eyes, anticipating the blinding light. And then...there they are. Her tour group. The Selected. Her charges._

 _"The light..." Michelle murmurs dazedly. "It's gone..."_

 _"So are the Watchers. We made it through the portal..."_

 _"Wait...Alodia...where's Diego...?"_

 _Alodia has gone to her hands and knees on the flagstones. She trembles violently, barely able to form words._

 _"...They...took him...pulled him out..."_

 _The others move to offer her comfort. Reassurance. Lila says nothing. Lila is a tour guide. Lila knows her place in the group. Lila knows her duty._


	11. Ice Before Fire

With a violent crash, Estela and Lila smash through a glass door, tumbling into the snow. I follow them out, watching helplessly, not daring to intervene. Estela's hands are wrapped around Lila's throat as they roll over and over each other in the drifts.

"Wait!" Lila gasps, clawing at Estela's hands. "Please! Let me explain!"

"Shut up!" Estela snarls. "It was you! You killed her!"

She drives her fist into Lila's face again and again. Lila doesn't even raise an arm to defend herself now that she can breathe again.

 _"_ P-please...I'm sorry..."

The commotion draws the rest of the group outside.

"Estela!" Quinn cries. "What is she-?"

"There was a video in the Lodge," I explain flatly. "It showed Lila...killing Estela's mother."

"What?!" Sean cries. He rushes in to break up the fight, but Estela catches him by surprise, shoving him into a snowbank.

"Estela, come on!" Sean snaps. "Enough!"

I take the opportunity to dive between Estela and Lila, who huddles on the ground, shivering. I very nearly catch a fist to my face.

"Woah! Easy!"

"Get out of my way, Alodia!" she growls.

"Estela, please! We should talk to Lila. Find out what she knows."

"I've had enough talking! She has my mother's blood on her hands!" She tries to push past me, diving at Lila again, but Sean and Craig grab her by the arms, barely managing to hold her back. "No! Let me go!"

"Lila, you'd better explain quick," I snap at the woman on the ground.

"Tell us it's not true," Quinn pleads.

"I wish I could," Lila answers sorrowfully. "It's true. Olivia was my friend and I...I ended her life. Mr. Rourke said it was the only way. She was going to ruin us. He insisted that I do it."

"Oh, my god..." Aleister whispers. He looks like he's about to be sick. Estela strains against Sean and Craig's hold.

"Is this supposed to save your ass?" she snarls. "Because it isn't working!

"Please! I know it sounds bad, but my mission now is to protect you! All of you!"

"Somehow, I get the feeling that won't mean much if he changes his mind!" I answer flatly. "God, Lila, what could possibly be worth all this?!"

"This oughta be good," Craig mutters.

Lila shakes her head. "You wouldn't understand. What Mr. Rourke is doing will fix the world." Her gaze flicks from one stunned face to the next as if she's trying to outrun her own thoughts.

"So she's a killer _and_ crazy," Jake mutters.

"It's the culmination of Mr. Rourke's experiments!" Lila protests. "His life's work! He has a machine at MASADA..."

"The Lernaean Gate," I supply.

"No. A different machine. One that can erase all of the pain and suffering people like us have had to endure."

I feel my veins turn to ice. "...What?"

"Heard enough yet?" Estela growls. "I have!" In a burst of strength, she tears free of Sean and Craig and shoves me aside to lunge at Lila. I nearly land in a snowbank, but Jake reacts quickly, catching me before I topple. That's when I notice Diego staring at something in the opposite direction. I follow his gaze and see several large clumps of snow fall simultaneously from the Lodge's roof. I feel a faint tremor pass through the ground beneath my feet. And then another.

"Guys...?" Diego's voice trembles. "I think something's coming...Something big."

And then it comes around the corner. A massive creature, at least twenty-feet high all white fur and black claws with the body and head of a polar bear, with a ram's black horns curling out of the top of its head.

"By the Endless," Varyyn breathes. "The Mountain Guardian!"

"Guardian!" Jake exclaims. "That's a goddamn Yeti!"

Even Estela freezes when she catches sight of the massive creature. "What the hell?!"

With Estela distracted, Lila scrambles to her feet and makes a break for it.

"She's getting away!" Grace cries. Estela whips around to go after, but slips on a patch of ice under the snow.

"Grace!" Aleister screams. "Watch out!"

Grace whips around just in time to see the beast looming next to her and shrieks in surprise. Apparently angered by her cry, the Yeti reaches down and scoops Grace up in one of its huge claws, roaring.

"Grace!"

"Let her go!" Aleister shouts. He immediately runs to her defense, but stops short, unsure of what to do. I don't know what possesses me to do it, but I run up to the creature, waving my arms, ignoring Jake's shouts of protest as I pull away from him.

"We're not your enemy!" I cry. That's when I notice the wounds along the Yeti's left arm and side. They look like they might be bullet holes. The creature turns towards me, teeth bared, but it slowly returns Grace to solid ground. Grace collapses against Aleister, quaking violently and struggling to catch her breath.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod..."

"Are you all right?" Aleister asks anxiously, quickly ushering her to safety. I hear a yipping sound and turn to see Murphy bounding over towards me. He plants his paws in the snow beside me and exhales a cone of frost at the enormous beast. Icicles sprout from the Yeti's fur, but it does not appear to be harmed. It bends down, bringing its huge, wet snout to sniff the tiny fox. It grunts softly. Then, in one swift motion, it plucks Murphy out of the snow and bounds toward the forest.

"Murphy!" I scream, running after the beast even though I know I can't hope to catch up. "Get back here! Where are you taking him?!"

"Oh, man!" Raj moans. "Is it gonna eat him?!"

The Yeti is gone in a few massive steps, vanished into the trees. Everyone stares in disbelief.

"What even just happened?!" Diego cries. "Are we into full-blown Christmas special territory?!"

Estela's gaze flicks from the direction the Yeti took off in to Lila's fresh tracks in the snow. "She ran away. Like the backstabbing coward she is."

Varyyn kneels to examine the Yeti's footprints. "The guardian is larger than I'd expected from Uqzhaal's stories. We'll need to move quickly to catch up."

"A frickin' abominable snowman?" Craig exclaims. "Really? And there are still super evil soldier dudes out there? I dunno, guys..."

"We might never make it to the Gate if we try to save him," Michelle says uncertainly.

"Listen, if it weren't for Murphy, most of us would have been torn to shreds by that sabertooth," Sean points out. "We owe him this!"

"And leave that murderer to get away with what she did?!" Estela snarls. "We need to catch her!"

"Estela, please!" I cry, feeling tears in my eyes. "It's Murphy! I want to hold Lila accountable as much as you, but that creature could kill him!"

Estela huffs in frustration. "Fine! For Murphy. But when we do find her, none of you better get in my way!"

Endless rows of pine and fir trees stretch ahead, lining the trail left by the Yeti's footprints. As we weave from one print to the next, I notice tears dripping down Estela's cheeks. She weeps softly, enough that I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't look right at her. I make my way over to her.

"Estela..."

"...What?" she asks sharply. I don't balk.

"I'm so sorry about your mother. I can't imagine what this must be like, but I'll do whatever I can to help."

Her expression softens just a little. "...All this time, I thought it was Rourke. ...It was easier that way. Knowing that someone she trusted so deeply...betrayed her...it's just..." She draws in a shuddering breath, raising her eyes to the sky. "...It goes to show that you can never really trust anyone."

"...You can trust me, Estela." She scrubs at her eyes. I place a gentle hand on her back, and we walk on in silence.

"Hey, guys!" Jake calls. "You see that snow coming down up ahead?"

"Uh, yeah," Craig replies. "That's actually how it gets all over the ground."

Michelle rolls her eyes. "Craig, give it a rest."

"What? He's from Louisiana! I didn't know if he knew about that stuff."

"Thanks, Al Roker," Jake snaps, glaring at Craig. "What I'm saying is, that snow's only falling in an isolated area next to that tree."

"Something's up there!"

I squint. Murphy is clinging to a branch on the top of the tree, his breath crystallizing and turning to snowflakes.

"That's totally where I'd put a snack if I wanted to save it for later," Raj remarks.

Movement among a distant cluster of firs catches my attention. The ground shakes with the Yeti's footfalls, but it doesn't seem to be approaching.

"I think it's far enough away that we could try to get him down," Sean says. I immediately search for footholds and begin to scale the trunk. "Woah! You sure you got this, Alodia?"

"Hope so. I guess we'll find out in a minute or two."

"Be careful!" Quinn calls.

"Foolish is more like it," Aleister hisses. "Now is not the time to throw caution to the wind!"

I ignore him. Moving from branch to branch, I gradually make my way up towards Murphy. I'm nearly halfway there when the pine needles around me begin rustling.

"Kongzilla incoming!" I hear Jake hiss below me. "Everybody hide!"

Everyone scatters below me, running for cover. High among the branches, I try to hold perfectly still. The Yeti emerges from the trees with, of all things, a buzzing beehive grasped in its claws. It doesn't seem to notice anyone. It's just a little further to reach Murphy. I reach for the next branch, only to have it snap loudly in my hand. _Shit!_

The Yeti roars furiously, dropping the hive and whirling towards the tree where I'm huddled. In the commotion, Murphy tries to scurry down the trunk, but loses his footing. To my horror, he falls, plummeting dozens of feet to the snow-covered ground below.

"No!" I scream. "Murphy!" Frantic, I scramble down the trunk. The rest of the group stops and turns towards the spot where Murphy landed. The beast also stops, apparently concerned. I jump the last few feet to the ground, scrambling back from the Yeti towards my friends, hardly daring to look at the spot where my little fox landed.

"Oh god, please no..." Quinn whimpers.

There is no movement from the hole in the snow where Murphy landed. The Yeti lumbers over and brings its face down, sniffing at the spot. A cloud of snowflakes swirls out towards the Yeti's nose. It flinches, pawing at its face. Murphy digs himself out and shakes off, looking annoyed but unharmed.

"He's okay!" I cry, feeling tears of relief in my eyes.

"I dunno if I am!" Diego declares. "Almost had a heart attack!"

The Yeti leans towards Murphy and gives him several gentle licks with its massive tongue. The gesture is...almost tender.

"Um...I don't think it wants to eat Murphy," Grace says. "I think its trying to care for him like a parent!"

"Aww, that's adorable!" Quinn cooes. Murphy whuffles, clearly finding the whole situation much less adorable than Quinn. He backs away and scampers over to her. She picks him up. "You're a good li'l pupper, Murphy."

Seeing Murphy in Quinn's arms seems to awaken the Yeti's protective instincts. It growls at her deep in its throat, a warning sound.

"Quinn!" Zahra hisses. "I think you're pissing it off!"

The Yeti lets out a furious roar, rising to its full height and advancing on Quinn.

"Quinn!" I shriek.

"Shit, this is like the custody battle from hell!" Diego cries.

Quinn glares at the Yeti, standing her ground. "You know what, I've had just about enough of you!" she snaps. "Just... _stop!_ "

… I hear something in her voice on the last word. Something I've heard once before and never forgotten. It's faint enough that the others might not pick up on it, but I can. I can hear the voice of the Island inside Quinn's voice. The Yeti seems to hear it, too. It seems suddenly hypnotized, a faint glow appearing in its eyes. It continues walking forward, causing snow to slide off the surrounding trees with each heavy step.

"Quinn, what are you doing?!" I scream.

"I...I don't know. It feels like I'm somehow in her mind..."

"...'Her'...?"

"I think I can bring her to our side, Alodia."

I swallow hard, looking from Quinn to the hypnotized Yeti. "...Okay...everybody stand back! Quinn, go for it!"

"This fox is our friend," she tells the Yeti, her voice at once commanding and soothing. "We're not going to hurt him."

The Yeti growls lowly and continues to advance. I feel my heart pounding in my throat.

"It's not working!" Grace cries.

Quinn gulps audibly. "Please..." Her voice wavers. But when she speaks again, the island's voice is back, still buried inside her own. "...We need your help!"

Abruptly, the creature stops, dropping down on all fours. She lays her head low in submission to Quinn.

"Hell yeah!" Craig says triumphantly. "I think Quinn just got us a Bigfoot!"

"Quinn, are you the Three-Eyed Raven?" Diego asks. "Can you wharg into animals?!"

"Guardian," Quinn says, addressing the Yeti. "We need to get to the northern penninsula. Can you help us?"

The Yeti drops her whole body low, and Quinn carefully climbs on her back, hoisting herself up in the creature's shaggy fur. She reaches her shoulders and tentatively reaches out to pat the side of her new mount's head. The Yeti nuzzles her rider affectionately. Quinn giggles delightedly.

"I think she likes me! Come on, Alodia!"

"Wooooah," Zahra breathes. "That's, like, a legendary-level mount..."

"Aaaand, we have a Yeti now," Michelle sighs. "That's a thing."

"Yeah," Sean agrees. "I'm just rolling with it at this point."

Quinn beckons for me to join her. I shake my head in disbelief. "This is totally crazy..."

"...Says the woman who mind-melded with Varyyn," Diego mutters.

"...Fair point. What the hell. Here I come!" I climb up behind Quinn. "Think the Guardian will let us grab our supplies from the Lodge first?"

The Guardian indeed does allow us to stop at the Lodge for our supplies. Properly supplied and bundled up, my coat and backpack of idols and Island's Heart on my back, I ride the Yeti with Quinn and Murphy, the rest of the group following beside us. The ride is surprisingly smooth, certainly no rougher than a boat on calm waters.

"This is amazing!" I breathe. "I can see for miles up here!"

"This is the only way to travel!" Quinn agrees. Murphy yips, and it sounds like agreement.

After a few hours of travel, we emerge from the evergreen forest at the shore of a vast, frozen lake. The Yeti comes to a stop and bows to let us off her back. Quinn climbs down and strokes the beast's snout.

"Thank you, my friend."

The Yeti whuffles, nuzzling her. I climb carefully down, clinging to the long tufts of white fur. As I descend, something dark catches my eye. Looking closer, I find strands of black, metallic netting wrapped tightly around the Yeti's shoulder.

"Hang on...there's something stuck to her..." I work carefully to detangle the net, and discover it's connected to a central device with a spider-shaped mark etched into it. "There! It's off."

"That's an Arachnid tracker!" Jake says, coming up behind me. "What the hell would Lundgren want with her?"

The Yeti raises an enormous paw to point across the lake, indicating the direction of our goal. She gazes down at Murphy. Murphy holds her gaze steadily for a long moment. Then, the Yeti turns and heads back into the forest.

"I...don't know how I know this," Quinn says, "But I think she'll come back to us if we need her."

"The Guardian recognized her own kind," Varyyn murmurs.

"What do you mean?" Diego asks.

"She must believe that Murphy will one day take her place. It is the only reason she would try to keep him safe."

"That would explain his unusual abilities," Aleister concedes.

"Our very own guardian-in-training," I remark. "Who knew?"

Murphy skitters across the shore toward the icy surface.

"Those cliffs are gonna be too steep to climb," Sean points out. "Looks like we're headed over the lake."

"Is it solid enough?" Michelle asks. "I don't need to deal with hypothermia from anyone falling through."

"The ice is clear," Grace says, "which means there's less air trapped inside."

"Well-observed," Aleister agrees. "Given the thickness and high density, it should be safe enough."

"Good thing we brought Pierre and Marie Curie along," Jake remarks, earning himself raised eyebrows from Grace and Aleister. "What? Don't give me that look! I know scientific...stuff!"

I put a tentative foot down on the ice. It holds under me, and I take another step. Diego follows, his feet sliding a little.

"Woah! It's slippery!" Varyyn comes up beside him, taking his hand.

"Don't worry. I will keep you steady."

We all gradually make our way across the smooth, glass-like surface.

"If only I had my ice-skates," Quinn sighs ruefully. "This would be a great place to perfect my double axel."

"I didn't know you figure skated," Michelle remarks.

"Well, I'm not great at it or anything."

"If we ever get home, remind me to show you my medals from the Collegiate Championships."

"Medals... _plural?"_ Quinn asks, incredulous. Michelle just grins.

As we near the center of the lake, Estela abruptly stops and kneels.

"Estela? You all right?" She doesn't respond immediately. With one gloved hand, she brushes away the frost from the ice, revealing an object frozen a few inches below. My knees almost give out. The object gleams faintly gold. Amber. Half of my brain is screaming at me to run. To grab Estela and tear her away. But that half is rapidly being drowned out by the part of me that is convinced that if I know what is to come, I can save her life. I can save all of them. I can prevent the future my own idol revealed.

"I...don't know how I knew it was there," Estela murmurs.

"Draco," Varyyn says. "I remember Uqzhaal talking about that vaalta."

Raj is rummaging around in his messenger bag. He produces a blowtorch and presents it to me. "You could probably melt it out with this, right?"

"...Where did you get this and what were you going to do with it?" I ask warily. He blinks at me, confused.

"In the kitchen at the lodge. It's for making crème brulee, but I thought we might find other uses for it in a snowy mountain."

"...Oh. That...actually makes a lot of sense. Never mind." I switch on the torch and hold the flame over the spot where the idol is frozen. It takes several minutes, but we melt enough of the ice to dig out the idol. It's a partially-clad woman with long, flowing hair and dragon wings sprouting from her back. I almost wonder if anyone notices me bracing myself as I pass the idol to Estela. The sensation of falling though time is almost familiar by now, even though it seems to become rougher each time...

… _The Hartfeld University library. Estela sits alone at a table, her attention focused on a thick, black volume. The title on the spine reads,_ The Executioner's Song. _Aleister comes up to the table, a stack of law textbooks wobbling in his arms._

 _"Do you mind if I sit here? All the other tables appear to be full." Estela nods without looking up. He sets his things down, and ventures a glance at her book. "True crime. I also enjoy that genre."_

 _Estela hums disinterestedly, her eyes flicking toward him just brieftly before returning to her book._

 _From a nearby row of shelves comes the sound of soft giggling and whispers._

 _"Did you see that transfer student? Her face looks like she got in a fight with a Slap Chop and lost."_

 _"She's way creepy. I heard her entire family died a bunch of years ago."_

 _Estela's fingers tighten around the edges of her book. She glares at the page, but I don't think she's reading anymore._

 _"Yeah, super sketch. I hope she doesn't come on the dorm retreat. I don't wanna worry about getting stabbed in my sleep, you know?"_

 _"Oh my god, for real!"_

 _The two girls walk toward the library's exit. Estela sits in silence. She closes her eyes, but not before I see the film of tears coating them. Aleister seems to notice as well._

 _"I...ah...I wouldn't worry about them," he ventures a bit shyly. "Even the sorority queens and head athletes end up falling to the bottom of the pecking order eventually. Trust is a fragile thing, and nowhere is it more brittle than among the 'popular' crowd."_

 _"Longing for acceptance from those kinds of people is a waste of time," Estela concedes._

 _Aleister ventures a smile. "Indeed. And if they underestimate people like us, they do so at their own peril."_

 _"Exactly." She gives Aleister a slight nod, and then returns to her book. Aleister smiles to himself and pulls a weathered textbook from the top of his stack. The two of them pour over their reading in comfortable silence..._

 _...I'm moving faster than ever before, away from the past, toward the future..._

 _… A red cloud billows in the reflecting pool of The Celestial's grand atrium. Lila's body is crumpled over the basin. The fountain's jets sprinkle onto her, washing away the blood of several stab wounds. Estela, a spear resting in a sling on her back, stands over her. Estela's shoulders heave, her breath coming out in hard puffs. A knife slips from her bloody grip, falling to the floor._

 _"...It's over, Mom...I did it..."_

 _A figure looms in the shadows on one of the balconies. Rourke, nude as he was when I saw him through the Centaurus idol, with double the madness in his eyes, sneers down at her._

 _"I owe you so much, Estela."_

 _Estela whirls to face him, fury in her eyes. "You!"_

 _"Gratitude, apologies...perhaps a bereavement package? Lila was a liability, and I should have seen to her eradication long ago. Now you've saved me the trouble." Estela draws her spear and makes ready to throw it. Rourke continues, apparently unconcerned. "As for Olivia, I respected her greatly-"_

 _"Snake! Don't you dare speak her name!"_

 _"I would never have been able to bring myself to kill her. That's why I needed Lila. What an elegant development that her own daughter would finally close the loop."_

 _"Die, you filth!"_

 _Estela puts everything behind her throw. Every tear. Every ounce of rage and hatred she has. It flies up into the balcony and right through Rourke. His image flickers as the spear sticks in the wall behind him._

 _"If only I had your perfect aim."_

 _The sound of a gunshot cracks through the air like a whip. Estela gasps in agony and slumps to her knees. Bloodstains blossom like roses across her abdomen and lumbar. She clutches the wound at her abdomen in disbelief._

 _"...No..." She turns to see Rourke—the real Rourke—standing behind her with a gun in his hand. The figure on the balcony disappears, and a small, spherical drone floats down to hover beside him. "You...bastard...!"_

 _She staggers to her feet and lurches towards him. He shoots her again, ripping another bloody hole in her abdomen. She cries out, but she keeps advancing._

 _"I...didn't come...this far..." Her voice is somewhere between a furious snarl, a sob of pain, and a frightened whimper. Rourke's lips curl into an angry sneer._

 _"Stay. DOWN!" he growls._

 _He shoots twice more. Blood oozes from wounds in her chest. Her legs betray her and she crumples. But she continues to advance, clawing her way across the floor, eyes burning with fury and hatred._

 _"K...kill...you..."_

 _"My god. You're persistent, aren't you?" There is admiration in his voice. "Like mother, like daughter, I suppose." He squats down over her and presses the barrel of the gun to her forehead. She looks up at him with furious tears in her eyes._

 _"...Rourke..."_

 _"Goodbye, Estela Montoya. I wish this could have worked out differently."..._

 _…_ I am returned to the frozen lake. Estela looks at me with concern.

"Are you all right? You look frightened. What's wrong?"

I swallow. I'm tired of hiding the truth, but I don't know what else to do. The longer I hide, the more unbearable the thought of telling becomes. "...Let's...just keep moving," I murmur.

Estela still looks concerned, but she doesn't argue. As we move onward, the lake narrows sharply, becoming a strait lined with imposing cliffs. Jake suddenly stops walking, a look of alarm on his face.

"Oh, crap," he groans. "Bad timing."

"You eat the raw octopus at the Vaanti feast, too?" Raj asks. That's when we hear the chorus of revving motors.

Arachnid troops on ski bikes roar out from around the cliffs. They speed across the frozen lake, encircling us before we can flee, staring at us through whatever eye slits exist in those mechanical masks. Leading the group is the hulking brute with the mechanical fists.

"Surprise!" he sneers gleefully, stepping off his bike. "Looks like you've reached the end of the line."

"You're new," Jake says flatly. "Lundgren ain't what you think, pal."

"I'm not just a recruit," Mecha-Fists replies, smirking. "I'm your replacement, Jakey-Wakey."

"Listen up, Amateur Hour. If you can't even come up with a decent nickname, don't waste my time. Lundgren must be packin' those cigars with something funny if he thinks he can put Inspector Gadget's idiot cousin in my spot."

"That's _Tetra_ to you!" Mecha-Fists—Tetra—growls. "And talk all you want, traitor. I have the upper hand. In fact, I have two."

The motors on his mechanical fists whine as he takes up a fighting stance. Jake gets on the balls of his feet, prepared to defend himself. That's when Sean catches my eye. He looks at me intently, mouthing something I can just make out: _keep talking._

"So, Tetra, was it?" I ask. "Why do you want us dead so badly?"

"Oh, it's nothing personal, cupcake. A job's a job, and Mr. Rourke happens to know how to put his money where his mouth is."

"It's too bad that Rourke always seems to kill his hired help."

"You would be smart to get out now," Estela agrees.

"And that's if Lundgren doesn't stab you in the back first."

"Which he will," Jake confirms. "I'm with the ladies. I don't think you know what you've got yourself into, Tin Man."

"Oh? And why would he backstab me?"

"Lundgren's loyal only to himself. The moment that bastard thinks he can get you to take the fall for him, you're gone. You'll never see it coming."

"And if you somehow survive Lundgren, you'll find that Rourke is far too paranoid to leave you alive."

Tetra ignores me, focused on Jake. "Last I checked, it was you who did the betraying, Jakey-Wakey."

Sean rushes at a pair of soldiers, but Tetra spots him and raises one of his mechanical arms. He deploys a fist toward Sean, who barely manages to jump out of the way. The hydraulic limb slams into the surface of the lake. The ice heaves beneath us, cracks spreading over the surface like veins. I feel my feet slide out from under me and I land hard on my back. The collection of idols in my backpack jams painfully into several points along my spine, hard enough to bruise. I can't hold back a cry.

"Alodia!" I hear a series of clicks as the surrounding soldiers raise their rifles at the group.

"Freeze!"

As I sit up, winded, Tetra retracts his arm and grins at Jake, stepping between him and me. "You can come with us, or we can kill you right here." He points one fist at me. "Your choice."

No one seems keen to stop me as I climb back to my feet, but I feel something slip out of my bag and go rolling across the ice.

"The Island's Heart!" Varyyn cries.

"Someone grab it!"

I dive for it, but I land just short. It slides over the ice towards Quinn.

"Got it!" she calls, reaching for it.

"No, Quinn! Don't!"

An unseen force lifts Quinn into the air as she takes the Heart in her hands. Her eyes shift from sapphire blue to blazing green, the whites vanishing in the glow. Everyone gathered stops, staring at her hovering form.

Diego backs away, murmuring, "...What kind of freaky B-grade..."

"...Mushrooms did I-" Raj stops himself and clears his throat. "I mean...are we in a horror movie?"

"Shoot her!" Tetra shouts.

"Sir, her radiation levels are off the-"

"Do it!"

The Arachnid troops open fire, all at once. I scream. But Quinn has already extended a hand, her expression placid.. The bullets slow until they're crawling through the air. She drops her hand, and they clatter harmlessly to the ice.

"I didn't sign up for this kinda stuff..." Jake mutters.

Quinn reaches toward a group of soldiers, as if to push them away. She speaks with the voice of the Island, just as she did back in the village.

"Get...out of here!" she orders, her voice reverberating like thunder. Green fire erupts around the soldiers. Their bodies gradually become translucent, as if they're being phased out through time. Their screams seem to cut in and out.

"Run!" Sean shouts. The remaining soldiers hurry to block our path. Estela, Michelle, and Raj manage to evade them, racing towards solid ground.

"Oh, yes! Run!" Tetra snarls. "With your tail between your legs! Not that it'll do you much good!" He points both fists at the ice and deploys them again and again. The web of fissures under our feet widens until it crosses the lake.

"He's freakin' crazy!" Craig yells.

"The ice is breaking up!" Grace cries.

Tetra grins manically at us, his eyes wild. The remaining troops scatter, fleeing towards the cliffs. Everyone else follows their lead.

"Wait!" I cry. "We can't leave Quinn!"

Quinn is ascending, the ethereal green light that engulfs her catching on falling teardrops.

"I am in pieces," she moans. "They've taken everything."

"Quinn! Or...whoever! Please, listen!" I glance around wildly and point to Tetra. "That man broke you!"

"...What...?" She turns her eerie green gaze on Tetra, still jamming his mechanical fists repeatedly into the thick ice.

"Yeah!" Zahra chimes in. "Look at him! Now he's breaking more stuff!"

The Quinn-creature hisses, stretching a hand towards Tetra, who finally seems to realize what we've done.

"This time..." she growls, "YOU WILL BREAK!" Her voice rises into a shriek that sounds like a bird of prey. Tetra's mechanical limbs rust and implode before his eyes. He screams, eyes rolling in terror, and sets off fleeing across the fracturing ice. Quinn hovers after him.

"This is just like _Frozen!_ " Diego cries, his voice breathy and strained with fear. "Except with, like, _The Exorcist_ happening at the same time!"

"She has to let it go!" Varyyn shouts. "Quinn! Let it go!"

Diego looks at him with disbelief. "Wait, how did you-" He's cut off by a sharp crackling noise that rises from the ice to fill the air around us. We barely have time to register the inevitable before the ice sheet gives way.

"Go!" Jake shouts. "Get off the lake!"

I look around frantically for a path to solid ground as the jumble of uneven surfaces shifts beneath my feet. My friends...where are my friends?! My eyes find Sean, just in time to see him slide off an ice block, straight into the frigid water. As the brutal cold hits him all at once, I see his strength immediately fail him.

" _Sean!"_ I scream. I leap onto an ice floe beside him and drop to my belly to stretch a hand toward him. Trilling anxiously, Murphy follows me. "Sean! Grab on!"

His skin is already turning blue. He tries to call out, but his teeth are chattering so badly that he can hardly speak.

"Al-alod-ia, I d-d-don't..."

"Do it, Sean! Please!" Summoning his strength, he reaches out and grasps my arm in both hands.

"Aleister!" Grace wails. "Somebody help him!"

"Zahra!" Craig cries.

I glance around and see that Zahra is trapped on a fast-moving ice floe, hurtling toward the far end of the lake. Aleister clings to a sheer cliff face above churning plates of ice. I pull at Sean's arm, dragging him through the water toward me. As he gets closer, Murphy grabs the collar of his coat and tugs with all his might, planting his paws firmly on the ice. Between us, we manage to drag Sean onto the floe. He slumps into my arms, soaking wet and shivering violently. He struggles to open his eyes and find my face, his blue-tinged lips curving into a feeble smile.

"Th-thanks..."

"Hold on, Sean," I murmur. I'm trembling myself, but it's not from the cold. "Oh god, please just hold on..."

I look around. Zahra has managed to pull herself up onto a rock ledge with Craig's help. Blood drips from a dark gash at her side. Grace helps Aleister struggle to shore. He holds one arm to his chest, his expression twisted with pain. Behind me, I hear the roar of water crashing down, and feel a spray of mist on the back of my neck. I dare to twist around and see the floe beneath me is rapidly approaching a massive waterfall.

" _Allie!"_ I hear Diego scream.

"Oh, god! Alodia!" I look up and see Jake standing at the shore, watching me with helpless terror. "Alodia! Get to shore! Please!"

"Sean, we have to get to shore! We have to jump!" I brace him, dragging him upright with me. There is a larger floe just a foot away, and a clear path to the shore. "You can do this! I've got you!"

He nods, struggling to control the tremors in his limbs. A shadow appears on the water before me. Quinn...or whatever creature is inhabiting her, descends from the sky, blocking my path.

"Broken..." she moans. I feel hot tears running down my cheeks. I gulp, reaching out to touch her. She glares at me, emerald flames smoldering in her eyes. "I will never be whole...Never!"

"Quinn, it's me! I need you to fight it! Please! Remember who you are! Think about the things we've been through together!" My voice cracks with a helpless sob. All the terror I have been carrying around since we emerged from the portal, since I first touched the Pavo idol, seems to come pouring out of me in a rush. "Remember the bridge at Elyys'tel? I've never been more devestated in my life than the moment I thought I lost you. We'd won the battle and I thought everything would finally return to normal. Instead, my worst nightmares started coming true, and there was nothing I could-"

"...But you did." Hearing Quinn—my own Quinn—speak, I glance up sharply.

"Quinn?!"

"...You saved me, Alodia..."

She closes her eyes. The roaring waterfall is suddenly silent. The bobbing of the ice floe beneath my feet ceases. Even the churning tide stops in place. The quiet presses heavily on my ears, almost painful, but so, so blessed. Quinn slowly floats to the shore. Sean leans heavily on me as I guide us after her, Murphy following behind me. Varyyn and Diego rush over to take him from me while Jake catches me in a crushing embrace.

"...Get him warm..." I manage to murmur before surrendering to Jake's frantic kisses. He pulls back just enough to take my face in his hands and look me over.

"You okay, Princess?" he asks, brushing sweat-damp strands of hair from my forehead. "You okay?"

I manage to nod before he presses his lips to mine again and then crushes me in his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck, clinging to him as if he's my anchor to the world.

 _Crack!_ Estela's fist connects with the Island's Heart in Quinn's hands, knocking it from her grasp. Quinn drops to the snowy ground, crumpling into Estela's arms. The pounding of the waterfall resumes instantly. Quinn's eyelids flutter.

"Estela...? What...happened?"

Estela clears her throat. "...Sorry. You were...uh...um...you were..."

"You were floating in the sky using superpowers!" Raj cries. "Super powers!"

"Is she all right?" Michelle asks. "Let me see her!" She hurries over to help Quinn to her feet. The others look at her, not quite knowing what to say. I manage to free myself from Jake just enough to look over at her.

"Are you okay, Quinn?"

"I...I think so..." She looks past us, her gaze focused somewhere in the distance. She frowns. We all turn to look.

A tall building looms atop a spire of rock that rises out of the lake, alone in the white haze.

"Oh, god...that's it," Aleister murmurs. "My father's facility."

Quinn swallows. "...Our way home..."


	12. The Point of No Return

Michelle quickly sets about tending to the wounded, examining Aleister's purple, swollen elbow while Grace cradles him on her lap. On a relatively dry patch of ground under an overhang, Varyyn and Diego strip off Sean's wet clothes. Varyyn cradles him carefully and Diego drapes the dryest blankets over the two of them. Craig presses a cloth to the wound in Zahra's side, holding it in place. For once, she doesn't even make a cursory attempt at pretending she doesn't want him there.

"...Dislocated," Michelle murmurs, gently cradling Aleister's wounded arm. "Still has a wrist pulse, though. I think all the nerves and arteries are intact. Alodia, can you come give me a hand here? The reduction will hurt less with two people."

"...Less?" Grace asks worriedly.

"I won't lie, it's not going to be painless. Gonna need you to hold still, Aleister."

I kneel beside Aleister, and follow Michelle's instruction, placing my hands on his upper arm. Aleister bites his lip and screws his eyes shut, leaning into Grace's arms. He chokes back a cry as Michelle starts to ease the bone back into place. The process drags on for several minutes while I hold his upper arm steady. Aleister groans and gasps, letting out a whimper here and there, and warm sweat drips from his brow, but he manages not to cry out. When his arm is cradled in a makeshift sling packed with snow to ease the swelling, Michelle moves on to Zahra.

I crouch on the edge of the cliff, slipping my backpack off my aching shoulders. Seeing the way I wince when I roll my shoulders, Jake comes up behind me and starts to massage them. Beside me, the waterfall froths and churns, pouring water and ice chunks two thousand feet into the sea below. I gaze across the strait towards the craggy pillar of rock, crowned with a towering, cutting-edge facility. A series of thick cables stretches across the water from where we are to the rocky spire. A gondola is suspended from the cables, at rest on the other side of the water.

"That has to be it," Aleister murmurs. "The MASADA complex."

"We all knew your old man had a complex, Malfoy," Jake mutters. "Now he's just getting blatant about it."

"If Iris was telling the truth, our ticket home is somewhere in there," I remark.

"The Lernal Gate-"

"Lernaean Gate," Aleister corrects Jake. "The lake of Lerna was the lair of the Hydra in Greek myth."

"Sure. That's not ominous at all. Anyway, the goal is to get inside, find this Lernaean Gate...and if the Island's Heart can power it..."

"...It can take us home," I finish.

I open my backpack to examine the Island's Heart, a shattered orb of colorful prisms, gleaming amidst the ten amber idols tucked in beside it. Jake shakes his head.

"It still sounds like a trap to me."

"Is this your brilliant 'gut instinct' again, Jacob?" Aleister snaps. "The one that's never, ever gotten us into trouble before?"

"We'll just have to be ready for whatever they spring on us," I say firmly. "If there's even a chance the Gate's in there, we have to take it. We just have to stay alert and go in with a plan."

Aleister glares at me. "So you think I'm being a fool to believe her?"

"Easy, Malfoy. She's just being cautious."

"I don't think you're being a fool. I think you're being human. ...Trust me, Aleister. I get it. ...If my dead mother appeared to me as a hologram or a vision or anything, I would be inclined to believe anything she told me too, and she was gone well before I could know her. ...But I would also hope I could trust my friends to be objective when I knew I couldn't."

"None of it matters at all if we can't find a way in," Jake points out.

"It looks like the only way across is the gondola."

"Of course. Knocking on the front door will work out splendidly, no doubt," Aleister mutters. He winces as he adjust the sling on his arm.

"They'd see us coming a literal mile away," Jake concedes. "We need a plan. Any ideas?"

"Somehow, we need to hide in plain sight," I say.

"How would we even do such a thing?"

"I don't know. But there's no way we can climb down this cliff and back up the pillar. The gondola _is_ the only way in. The question is how we ride across it without being immediately captured?"

"Hmm...I suppose you are correct..."

"We'll think of something," Jake declares. "We have to. ...Immediately, though, we have bigger problems."

He looks over at the rest of the group. Zahra yelps as Michelle stitches her wound.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Hold still, please! Do you want me to stitch you up or not?!"

"Not with a clothes sewing kit!"

"I thought you were supposed to be tough." Zahra grunts, but she doesn't protest any further. Michelle finishes her work, and goes to check on Sean. Varyyn has eased out from under the blanket, but he and Diego stay close, sharing their body heat with him in the absence of a proper fire other than the flame from Raj's brulee torch. Michelle moves to adjust the blanket.

"Here, make sure you cover your-" Sean jerks away from her, teeth still chattering.

"St-stop. I said I'm f-fine."

"Will you quit it and let me help?" Michelle snaps. "You were in that freezing water long enough for it to be serious." She reaches for him, but Sean stands up sharply and walks away.

"I can take care of myself! Just need to walk around."

At the edge of the falls, Quinn sits apart from the rest of the group, several of them throwing furtive glances in her direction. Her cheeks are streaked with frozen tears. I walk over to her, offering my hand.

"Quinn. Hey. Come on, join the rest of us."

"...You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." I put an arm around her. "Come on."

But as I lead her back to the group, several of them edge away nervously. Even Diego starts to back away, but stops when I glare at him. Quinn swallows hard, blinking back fresh tears.

"You see? They're all afraid of me. Of what I've become."

"Look, guys, I know what happened was scary, but Quinn is still our friend! And she saved our lives! We would be literally dead in the water right now if not for her! So how about showing a little gratitude!"

The others shift uncomfortably, looking contrite.

"Alodia's right," Raj admits. "We're being total jerks. ...Sorry Quinn. You can come sit next to me."

Quinn offers him a watery smile. "Thanks, Raj." She tentatively sits down beside him and finds herself immediately tucked under his arm and pulled firmly to his side, his massive frame dwarfing her comically.

"No problem. We'll keep an eye on you. You're safe with us."

Her face falls. "I don't even remember what happened."

"You touched the Island's Heart and a spirit inhabited your body," Varyyn explains. "I've never seen anything like it."

"One moment," Aleister says, suddenly pinning me with an angry gaze. "I seem to recall Alodia urging Quinn not to touch the Heart, right before she was possessed!"

And just like that, every pair of eyes in the group turns to me with suspicion. Even Quinn looks concerned.

"Alodia, did you...did you know that was going to happen?" Grace asks.

"...Alodia?" Quinn's voice wavers.

I sigh. "...Yes. I did. It happened to you once before. Back at Elyys'tel. ...Uqzhaal said that telling you and scaring you could ruin your health. I was inclined to trust him. Especially while you were still recovering." I look pleadingly at her. "...I'd almost lost you once. And we'd all fought so hard to save you. I was scared of undoing that."

"But you hid it from all of us, too!" Grace protests.

"At least she had a good reason, though," Raj counters. "And she's being straight-up with us now."

"Oh, yes," Aleister scoffs. "Honesty when the cat's already out of the bag is quite the virtue."

"...I understand why you did it, Alodia," Quinn says softly. "It must've been a hard choice. So...thank you for protecting me."

She smiles, and it feels like forgiveness. For a moment, I feel lighter. Then I catch Diego's eye. There is something in his gaze, something beyond hurt or anger that I didn't share this with him. There's a lot that I can read in his gaze, and I realize he knows I'm still holding something back. ...He won't get it out of me, though. I can't bear it. I look away.

"Varyyn," Diego finally says, "what's happening to her? What did the Heart do to her?"

"I do not know. The Heart is the most powerful artifact in Vaanti legend. It represents the very spirit of this island of Vaanu. Perhaps it even contains some of that spirit."

"Time out...are you telling us that the _island_ is possessing Quinn?"

"It may be. When it restored her life, that was an incredible transfer of energy."

"But like, she's only like that when she touches the orb thing, right?" Craig asks.

"Not sure, Craig," I admit. "...But my guess is...no. Remember the Yeti? How Quinn almost controlled her?"

"I think a lot of this spirit is already in her," Grace agrees.

"The orb does seem to act like a trigger, though," Varyyn points out. "But I fear each time she touches it, more of Vaanu's spirit joins hers. Next time or the time after that...there could be no turning back."

I look over at Quinn, whose gaze is fixed on an unremarkable patch of snow.

"Quinn? Are you okay? I know it's a lot to digest..."

"...All my life I carried something inside my body. Something taking me over. Something that would eventually erase me. And I thought I'd finally gotten it out, that I was finally free to be me. ...But I'm not free. It just got replaced with something else."

A heavy silence descends over the group. Finally, Craig forces a smile and pats Quinn's back.

"But hey, your disease didn't give you powers to fly and stop bullets. Now look at you!"

"Dude," Zahra mutters. "Not the time for jokes-"

"No, it's okay," Quinn says. "Craig's right. I need to look on the bright side of this. I've always been helpless. I've always needed others to look out for me, since the day I was born. So if what happened to me means that I can help you, that I can take care of others for once...then I'm gonna make the most of it."

"Hell, yeah," Jake agrees, grinning at her.

"So, I guess this means we shouldn't use the Heart to heal our wounded," Michelle muses.

"Yeah," I concede. "That seems like a dangerous idea."

"...In that case, we're going to need to find medical supplies. That little first aid kit isn't gonna cut it. Not with Sean-"

"Michelle, I told you I'm fine!"

"Will you shut up?" Michelle snaps. "You're not fine! You're stable for now, but it's not going to last without a fire or a heat blanket or something! And you'll freeze even faster if you keep being stubborn!"

"We're in the middle of an ice age, miles away from the Lodge," Aleister points out. "Where do you suppose we're to find medical supplies?"

"I saw tire tracks nearby," Estela says. "I'd bet it's from Arachnid's vehicles on their way to ambush us at the lake. Most of them fell in the ice, so the trucks might still be there. They'd have first-aid kits inside."

"Military grade," Jake confirms. "More along the lines of what we need."

"I'll go with you," I volunteer. "No one should be going out alone right now."

"As will I," Varyyn says.

"I'm in," Jake adds. "Let's do this."

"Right," Michelle says. "Let's go."

"You sure you're up for this, Maybelline?"

Michelle glares at Jake. "Yes!" she snaps. "In fact, I know better than anyone here what we actually need, so it looks like you're the dead weight this time, you pompous ass!"

I can't help but snicker at the startled expression on Jake's face. He spreads his hands in a pose of surrender.

"Point taken."

The five of us bundle up and set out to follow the tire tracks. The trail takes us through the dense northern forests, where the snowdrifts reach halfway up our calves. Dead trees stretch their bony, knotted branches high above us.

"Jake," Varyyn says, "may I aks you a question? You were one of the enemies before, no? An Arachnid?"

Jake keeps his eyes on the ground. "Yeah. The Arachnid Unit. My call sign was Wolf. As in a wolf spider. Everybody was a different spider. Lundgren's codename is Tarantula."

"I see. You were warriors without a tribe. You fought only for yourselves-"

"It wasn't like that," Jake says firmly. "We used to help people. At least...that's what I thought I was doing..."

I hear a soft sniff behind me, and turn to see Michelle.

"Michelle?" I ask softly. "Are you crying?"

"No, I'm not," she answers flatly, wiping tears from her eyes.

"...It's Sean. Isn't it."

She is quiet for a moment, but eventually nods. "...We almost lost him back there. If it weren't for you...If you hadn't pulled him out so quickly, he'd be de-"

"But he's not." I cut her off firmly. "He's tough. He'll pull through."

"...He's still important to me, Alodia. We were together for two years. That doesn't just disappear when it's over. Even though we're not together, I'll always care about him. But when he looks at me now, all I see is hate and disgust in his eyes. I can't stand it. If he died thinking that—thinking that I..."

… I can't bear it anymore. Even if I can't tell anyone the whole truth of the idols and the visions they are bringing me, I can't hold this back anymore.

"Tell him the truth," I blurt out. "Tell him that you never cheated on him. That your friends lied to him."

"What—but how could you know that they..." She trails off. After a moment, she swallows, her lips quivering. "I can't do it, Alodia. It's just too humiliating. If I were to tell him that, that would mean I didn't have single true friend in the world."

I put a hand on her arm. "You have _us_ , Michelle. We're your true friends."

Michelle's eyes meet mine. She bites her lip, her eyes shimmering, and slowly nods. "...Okay. I'll tell him."

I can't resist pulling her into a hug. Almost to my surprise, she wraps her arms around me in return, hiding her face against my shoulder.

"...I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you when we met," I murmur. "...And I'm sorry I punched you in the face that one time."

She offers me a watery smile. "Well, I was being a bitch to you. ...And I know that punch was an accident. You've got hard fists, though."

"Well, I'm a scrapper. Always have been."

Michelle chuckles and eases out of my embrace, wiping her eyes. She draws in a shuddering breath, and puts on a brave smile. We continue on side by side in comfortable silence.

Up ahead, Estela stops, cursing under her breath. "Dammit. Too much fresh snowfall this far out. We lost the tire tracks."

"...We need those kits," I say softly. As if somehow, needing it badly enough will make the tire tracks reappear.

"Judging by the terrain, the best tactical move for Arachnid would've been the crest over that way," Jake says, pointing.

Varyyn squats down, surveying the area. "I disagree. The low branches this way are broken. Something large passed through."

"You're both wrong," Estela declares flatly. "Smell the gas? It's gotta be coming from this way!"

Michelle clears her throat. "Or...it's literally right here."

She points. Not far ahead, a military humvee is visible through the trees. Jake, Varyyn, and Estela shift awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.

"...Good...good work," Estela finally mumbles. I smother a chuckle with one hand, earning myself an indignant poke from Jake.

We approach the humvee cautiously, grateful for the soft snow that muffles our footsteps.

"Looks empty," Jake murmurs. "No sign of 'em anywhere. We're clear."

"Estela and I will keep watch," Varyyn declares. "You three search the vehicle."

"Don't take too long," Estela warns. "Any survivors might head back this way."

Jake, Michelle, and I climb inside the humvee. The interior is spacious and loaded with high-tech equipment. We immediately begin sorting through the gear still stashed in the back.

"Jackpot!" Jake declares triumphantly.

"Over here!" Michelle calls. "A first aid kit! And heat blankets!"

"Check this out. They've got a bunch of emergency shelter tents, too. Eight of them. More than enough if a few people double up."

"You're welcome to share mine, Princess."

"A tempting offer, Top Gun. I might just take you up on it."

"Okay, enough flirting. Is there any way to drive this thing back to our camp? Seems easier than trying to walk."

I crawl into the driver's seat, and find the keys still in the ignition. I give them a turn and the vehicle hums to life, as does a large central computer display mounted in the console.

"Huh..." I tap curiously through a couple screens. There is a list of files and actions on the screen. One in particular catches my attention: anon_transmission.

"What are you doing?" Michelle hisses. "Let's get moving."

"I just wanna see one thing..." I tap the file to open it. A distorted sound crackles through the speakers, nearly impossible to understand.

"...Is...that a voice?" Michelle asks uncertainly.

"What's it saying?"

I cautiously turn up the volume. A garbled voice, speaking in English, just barely makes it out through the crashing waves of static.

"You want...Jake McKenzie?...Come get him...June 1st...15 degrees...11 minutes...17 seconds North, 73 degrees, 20 minutes, 16 seconds West."

The transmission repeats, continuing on a loop.

"15 degrees North, 73 degrees West," Michelle murmurs. "But that's..."

"La Huerta," Jake confirms grimly.

"Someone...gave Lundgren your location...?"

"And they knew what day I was bringing you here. Dammit...Lundgren was waiting here for me the whole time." He kicks the back of the passenger seat violently. "Someone ratted me out! When I find out who-"

A pebble plinks off the rear windshield. Then another.

"Crap!" I growl. "That's Estela and Varyyn, isn't it?"

"Shh!" Michelle hisses. "Someone's coming!"

We all duck down in the cab. Through the snow-dusted windows, I can make out four Arachnid soldiers approaching. In the rear, one soldier props another one up as they limp along.

"Get a move on," one says. "They went this way."

"We're going as fast as we can, sir."

"Forget Two-Eight-Seventy. Leave him. We have to move. The vehicle's up ahead."

"Dammit!" Jake growls. "Some of these bastards survived the lake."

"They're headed this way!" Michelle hisses. "What do we do?"

"Screw it!" I growl. On impulse, I put the car in gear and slam down on the gas pedal. The massive vehicle rockets forward, straight at the troops. I feel four hard thumps and see their bodies windmill through air as they careen off the hood. The truck slams to a stop against a tree trunk. I sit behind the wheel, trembling, staring at the tree in front of me as Estela and Varyyn come racing up to the vehicle. Michelle and Jake climb out of the humvee. The cold batters me, but I don't even notice. A After a moment, Jake returns, and I feel his hand unwrap my fingers from the wheel.

"Hey...well done, Princess. They won't be bothering us any more."

"...I killed them."

He's quiet a moment. "...Yeah. ...Before they killed us." I turn to look at him. He brings a hand up to cup my cheek. "I know, Alodia. I know."

"...You know what?"

"I know what the first kill feels like. Let me help you outta there. You're probably gonna puke in a minute."

Just as he says that, I feel my gorge start to rise. He rushes me out of the car and holds my hair back as I double over and spew acid onto the snow. Just when I think I'm finished, I catch sight of the fallen troops and start to dry heave again. But by that point, there's nothing left in me. Jake pulls me into his arms and cradles me against him.

"You saved our asses, Princess. ...You didn't kill out of greed or for revenge or any shit like that. You didn't even mean to kill. ...I'll help you through what comes, I promise. You're gonna be angry and scared and all kinds of shit, and I've gone through them all before, so I'll help you now. ...But for the moment, we gotta get these supplies back to the others. To Sean and Zahra and Aleister..."

I blink back tears and hazard a look at the soldiers again. "...Wait. ...I have an idea..."

A steely resolve has settled over me by the time we reunite with the others by the waterfall, bearing the Arachnid's supplies. Everyone circles around us. We relay the events in the woods to them, and I lay out my plan.

"Hold on!" Craig cries. "You're talking about sneaking into Rourke's lair wearing these suits?"

"Like we said, the gondola's the only way across. So a disguise is the only way they let us in."

"It's so insane that it just might work!" Raj exclaims.

"Why do people say that?" Aleister mutters. "Nothing is so insane that it works!"

Finally wrapped in a proper heat blanket, Sean looks up at me. "It's an interesting idea, but there's just one problem."

"One?!" Aleister echoes incredulously.

"Okay, sure. Lots of problems. But one big one is that we've got four suits, but there are thirteen of us." Murphy trills indignantly, and Raj scratches him behind the ears.

"Sorry, little man. He means fourteen. But I don't think they make the suits in your size anyway."

"Well, that's the best part of the plan," Jake says. "Tell 'em, Princess."

"The rest of us don't wear disguises. We go as prisoners."

"So, you're asking us to turn ourselves in to those psychos?" Zahra asks.

"Yes," Estela replies. "And once we're inside, the ones dressed as Arachnid will free the rest of us."

"And we make a break for the Lernaean Gate," Michelle finishes.

Sean considers for a moment. "That...could actually work," he admits.

"It could," Zahra says, "but it's more likely we end up shish-kabobbed on that braided girl's katana."

"Don't bail on us, Zahra," I say. "We need you. You're our expert hacker. If anyone can get us through their security once we're inside, it's you."

"Obviously," she mutters. "But at least you acknowledge it."

"I know this sounds crazy, but this is our one shot at getting home, all of us, together."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Craig asks. "Let's blow this joint!"

"That's all well and good, but some of us are still hurt," Michelle points out. "We should at least give the wounded a chance to recover."

"We can rest here at least until morning," Quinn says thoughtfully. "Those tents will keep us warm through the night."

"Let's get a fire going."

We all set about getting a camp set up. Sean helps where he can, but at Michelle's insistance, he mostly stays to the side, wrapped in a heat blanket. I notice him watching, a faraway expression on his face. I wander over to him.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Hmm?" He glances over at me. "Oh...hey, Alodia. Yeah, I'm okay. It's just weird. The whole time, we've been racing forward, with no idea what's coming next. But now, we finally do. This time tomorrow, we'll either be home...or we'll be dead."

I smile weakly. But something deep in my gut tells me that those are not likely to be the only options.

 _Eleven graves...and two yet to discover..._

Within a few hours, the last of the tents has been erected, and we all gather around a crackling fire. By now, night has fallen. Infinite stars shimmer in a deep black field of sky, reflecting off the frozen landscape. I hunker down beside Diego, looking into the dancing flames. I've calmed down a bit since the encounter in the woods. It helped that I found a toothbrush among the supplies in the van and managed to clean the taste of vomit from my mouth. Perhaps when we're safe back home, I'll be scared by how quickly I've pushed my act of vehicular manslaughter to the back of my mind, but right now, I only tell myself that I can't let it distract me. I can't let anything distract me. Not with what's at stake.

"Oh, my god! Look!"

At Grace's cry, I feel adrenaline surge through my body from the base of my spine. I nearly leap to my feet until I realize that she's pointing to the sky. I look up and feel the breath leave my body at the sight of a meteor shower filling the darkness with beautiful streaks of light.

"Woah, dude!" Craig breathes. "I've never seen so many!"

"That's...that's incredible!" I whisper.

"Are they the Quadrantids?" Grace muses excitedly. "Or maybe anciet meteors we've never even heard of?"

"Man, Diego, you gotta check this—Diego?" I suddenly realize that Diego is no longer beside me. I have another moment of panic before I spot him standing off on his own. He looks awkwardly towards the edge of the falls, where Varyyn sits alone at the cliff's edge, staring up into the sky. I get up and walk over to Diego.

"Hey. Anybody home in there?"

"Oh. Hey, Allie. ...Happy Birthday. Again."

"...What?"

"It's still January 1st. For a few more hours, I think."

"Oh...right. ...Feels like it's been weeks since the party last night."

"Glad we had that," he says. "...Seems like your twenty-second hasn't gone all that well otherwise."

"Yeah...next year maybe we stick to killing our New Years' hangovers with Netflicks and junk food like we usually do." Unexpectedly, I hear my voice break as a sob threatens to escape. Unbidden, hot tears spring to my eyes, coating them with a stinging film. Diego frowns.

"...I wish you'd tell me what's wrong."

"...What do you mean?" I ask, trying and failing to sound innocent, even as I scrub at my eyes.

"Ever since we reunited in Elyys'tel, you've been...really jumpy. And it's just been getting worse. Jake told me at breakfast that you woke up screaming early this morning, but you wouldn't say why...and don't take this the wrong way, but those four Arachnid suits didn't come from guys who are going to be complaining about not having clothes. I know you were the one to run over them, Allie. Jake told me that, too."

I don't answer immediately, but I feel the tears start to fall. It was silly to think he wouldn't have figured it out, even without Jake telling him outright, but the idea of my sweet, tender-hearted best friend knowing that I killed four men...

"...Diego...Oh, god, please don't hate me for that..."

"What? Allie, who do you think you're talking to? I could never hate you! Shit, I'm _glad_ you took them out before they hurt you or Varyyn or any of the others. But I'm worried about how you're coping with it. With everything. You've always been the steady one. Jumpy's my thing. But the last couple days, if someone says 'boo' you practically leap out of your skin. You burst into tears at the drop of a hat. ...You're holding something back. I know you are."

I draw in a shuddering breath. "...There's a lot I'm holding back," I admit. "Not just from you. From everyone. I...I can't tell you what it is though. I can't tell anyone. Not until I know more."

"...Can I ask why not?"

"...Because until I understand it better myself...what it is... _why_ it is...I'd just be worrying everyone to no purpose."

"You're already worrying me, Allie. I thought I'd lost you once. I spent six months thinking you might be gone forever. ...I don't want to go through that again."

I wrap my arms around him and hug him hard. "...I think that's pretty unlikely," I say softly as he holds me back.

"...You do?"

"Yeah. I do. I won't say impossible, but...pretty unlikely."

He sighs and kisses the top of my head. "...I'll take it. ...Promise me you'll tell me what's going on when you can?"

"I promise."

"...Okay."

I pull back slightly. "So...is that all that was bugging you? Just worrying about me?"

"Well...no...that's not all," he admits, which does not surprise me.

"So what else is going on?"

He sighs. "...Goodbyes suck, you know?"

"Oh...right. ...Varyyn isn't coming with us, is he."

Diego sighs again, shoving his hands into his pockets. "...I get it. He can't. We're from different times, different worlds, it couldn't last, et cetera..." He smiles wryly. "Of course my heart would be dumb enough to go for the 'Romeo and Juliet Across Spacetime' love story, huh?"

I glance over at Varyyn. "...You still have tonight."

"Huh?"

"Just because something ends tomorrow doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy it today." I grin. "Besides. If that whole Lernaean Gate thing doesn't work out, it might be your last night on earth. What better time?"

He laughs, and the sound is wonderful. "You know what? You're right. You're always right." He glances over at Varyyn again. "...What do you think of him, Allie? Really? I know the night he attacked the resort was only a week ago for you, but..."

"I think he's hot and he's crazy about you. ...But in all seriousness, I like him. He's proven to be a good friend to us all, and he clearly loves you. ...I find it a little weird to be psychically linked to my best friend's boyfriend, but I'll get over that. ...By the way, he and I actually had a talk this morning where we cleared the air about the stuff that's still raw to me, and I've already given him the obligatory, 'Fear me if you hurt my friend,' speech."

"Huh. ...I never had a chance to give Jake one of those."

"Well, now's not the time. Now's the time to land your man."

"Once again, you're right. I'm gonna go over there." He smooths his hair. "Okay, how do I look?"

"Honestly, with your new hair? Like a total heartthrob. You ought to pose for posters that horny teenagers can decorate their ceilings with."

He grins. "Heck, I'll take it."

He goes to join Varyyn by the waterfall. I can't help finding a dark spot among the trees to observe from, telling myself I'll slip away if they start to get too frisky. For a moment, they only sit quietly side-by-side, watching the meteors.

"Amazing," Diego murmurs.

"Yes," Varyyn agrees. "I enjoy watching them. They glow so bright and so brief, as they burn away to nothing."

"That's...kinda sad, Varyyn. But also kinda beautiful."

"All things that end are always sad and beautiful."

"Guess I never really thought about it like that. Those meteors must've traveled for like, thousands of years? Millions? Until...until we just..." he swallows, meeting Varyyn's eyes, "...got in the way. They could've just kept going forever, alone in space, none the wiser."

"That is no existence," Varyyn replies. "At least these ones are seen. At least their brightness can be witnessed before they go."

They fall silent for awhile. Diego edges a little closer. Finally, Varyyn speaks again.

"Sometimes, the meteors fall here on Vaanu. I went to see one once. It was different from the others. It was...like a machine."

Diego looks at him sharply. "Wait...a machine?"

"Yes. Smooth round iron, and great, wide, square wings."

"Like...a satellite? Are you saying you found a crashed satellite?"

"Sat-elle-ite?"

"They, uh...they're machines. They fly in space around the world. They're used to send messages."

"Send them home?"

"Yeah."

"...Tomorrow, you are sent home."

Diego's smile crashes like a satellite. "...Yeah. ...Will you be okay? We got separated from the Vaanti scouts back at the chasm. You'll have to get out on your own, to take the Island's Heart back to your people."

"I will be fine, my friend. I will survive the journey." He swallows, putting a hand on Diego's shoulder. "...But I will miss you."

Diego bites his lip. "You know...when I first went to college, I got homesick a lot."

"Home-sick?"

"It's like, when you're far away, and you miss your home, and the people who mattered the most to you back there."

"...I have never left my home. I may never leave my home. I will never have this feeling." He is quiet for a moment. Then, he shudders. "...It seems horrible."

"You sorta get used to it. I realized that I had to move on with my life and strike out on my own. But I never stopped missing my family in Riverside, and I never will. So I tried to carry them with me. In here." He taps his chest with one finger. Slowly, Varyyn reaches over to tap the same spot.

"In there."

"...At night, I'd look up at the sky and know that they were looking at the same stars. And what's great about stars is, they live for millions and millions of years. So...tomorrow night, when I'm back in my time and you're in your time, I'll be able to look up at the stars, and know that you're seeing the same ones."

He takes the pale blue hand that's still lingering over his heart. Then, their lips are drawn together like magnets. The come together, holding each other in the light of the blazing meteor shower, Varyyn's fingers combing through Diego's hair. At last breaking apart to breathe, Diego settles into Varyyn's arms.

"Best. Vacation. Ever," he declares, and I have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing and giving myself away. I creep back over to the fire, joining Raj, Quinn, and Murphy in the warmth of the flames.

"Oh, man! Raj, it smells amazing over here! What are you cooking?"

"Check it out, Alodia. We've got sausages, vegetable kebobs..."

"Where did you get all this?" Quinn asks.

"Raided the kitchens back at the Lodge before we left. Had plenty of room in my bag. Between good food and a few hilarious T-shirts, what else does a man need?" He passes plates to me and Quinn. "Dig in."

I eagerly obey, suddenly very aware of the fact that I haven't eaten since breakfast. Beside me, Quinn mumbles happily around a mouthful.

"Oh, god, this is delicious," I sigh. Murphy attacks a vegetable kebob, chewing the grilled pieces off the skewer. Raj laughs.

"Murphy loves his veggies! Eat up, little man. Gotta get big and strong if you're gonna be a Guardian one day!"

When he's filled his belly, Murphy yawns and crawls into my lap, curling up to sleep it off. I stroke his fur.

"Poor little guy," Quinn murmurs. "He's gonna miss you, Alodia."

"I'm gonna miss him, too."

"...You're not going to take him with you?"

"I wish I could. But this is where he belongs. His whole future is here." And if that's enough reason for Diego to give up the man he loves, it's surely enough reason for me to give up my little fox friend.

"That's the thing about crossing paths in life," Raj sighs. "Doesn't mean they cross for long. It's the memories that count."

I set down my empty plate and scoop Murphy up in my arms, standing. "Hey, I'm gonna walk around a little bit. Make the rounds." I set off. Murphy stirs slightly in my arms, but doesn't wake.

As I circle the camp, I catch sight of Michelle and Sean, seated side-by-side on a log at the edge of the trees. The wind carries a snippet of their conversation in my direction.

"I know you have zero reason to believe me," Michelle murmurs.

Sean shakes his head, looking down. "...What's crazy is that I have every reason to believe you. I honestly feel like I should have known. ...Thanks for telling me, though. Must've been hard to say just now. I can't believe those scumbag friends of yours-"

"They're not my friends, Sean. You are." She sighs. "I know part of you will always hate me for letting you think this for so long, and you're totally right to. But you're still one of the best people I've ever met. I needed to finally tell you the truth...to finally tell you...I'm sorry."

Sean sighs deeply, his shoulders heaving. "...Thank you, Michelle. And I'm sorry, too." He pulls her into a hug, and I feel a smile play around my mouth as I keep walking.

Eventually, I wander back to the fire, where Grace, Zahra, and Jake have joined Raj and Quinn, laughing and telling stories.

"Alodia!" Grace pats the log next to her. "Come sit!"

I come to join her, sitting between her and Jake. Murphy has woken up a bit by now, and leaps out of my arms to wander the camp himself.

"Whatcha guys laughing at?"

"Jake was telling us about how him and his old wingmate used to prank each other all the time," Zahra explains, grinning.

"Yeah," Jake says, and returns to the story he was telling. "So, our cover's blow, M.P.S. cops are hot on our tail. They chase us to the top of the Ryugyong Hotel. Only one way down from here. Me and Mike grab our chutes, run through the window, and basically have to B.A.S.E. jump from the tallest building in Pyongyang with cops shooting at us from the tower, and all these locals gawking up at us and pointing. And I just hear Mike laughing his ass off behind me. I look up, and spraypainted in huge Korean Hangul on my open chute is...'I can't stop farting'."

Zahra and I both burst out laughing.

"That's so good!" she crows.

"That's so mean!" Grace protests.

"Mike sounds like he was awesome," I remark, smiling.

Jake smiles back, but I can see the sadness nipping at the edges of his features. "Yeah. He really was."

"That might even top the time I hacked this price-gouging pharma exec's credit card," Zahra declares. "...I ordered forty-seven stripper clowns to crash his 80th birthday party."

"Ha! Well-played!" Jake chuckles.

"That might be more of a felony than a prank," Grace mutters.

"Meh. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to." She grins at me. "What about you, Alodia? Any all-time great pranks?"

"I once dressed up as a movie monster to scare Diego..."

"Go on...?"

I smile. "Sophomore year. We'd just watched _The Ring_ for the first time. Bought a long black wig and hid in his closet. When he opened it, I burst out and started clawing my way across the floor. "

Jake and Zahra burst into peals of fresh laughter.

"Oh, man! What'd I give to have seen the look on Petey's face right then!"

"Oh, my god!" Grace cries. "You two are just awful!"

"Come on," Jake says. "Harmless pranks are what make friendship great."

"Yeah. You know someone as long as I've known Diego, and there's no love lost for a few pranks. Besides, he got me back. ...Unfortunately for me, he remembered how freaked out I used to be by the Yip-Yips."

"...The what?"

"You know. Those Martian muppets from Sesame Street? They were on a bunch of the older episodes that Diego's mom used to play for us when we were little and she needed to get some cleaning or cooking done. Eventually, she had to find something else to distract us because I would run to her screaming whenever they appeared on the screen."

Jake looks incredulously at me. "...Seriously?"

"Hey! Those things were freaky as hell! I had nightmares for years about them eating me! So of course, because he knows all my deepest, darkest secrets, Diego downloads a Yip-yip song and sets it to his ringtone. Asks to borrow my tablet to take notes in class, claiming he has to run a virus scan on his laptop. Even runs the damn scan in his room so I won't get suspicious if I happen to peak in there. Little do I realize he's hidden his phone in my room. I'm sitting at the kitchen table, studying, when suddenly I hear 'Yipyipyipyipyipyip'..."

It's about that moment that Diego and Varyyn wander over to the fire, hand-in-hand. Diego laughs.

"Are you telling them the martian muppet story?"

"Explaining how you got me back for the crap I pulled with the black wig. But you can probably tell it better."

"I'll bet!" He plops down on a log nearby. "So here's the thing, at the time I wasn't even sure it would work. Last time Allie tried to face her muppet phobia, she was fifteen. She'd gotten better, but she was still just not a fan..."

He relays the rest of the story with obvious glee. Jake and Zahra burst into fresh peals of laughter, while Grace looks at all of us like we're nuts. Varyyn, of course, is completely lost. In time, the others drift back to the fire, and more stories are swapped as Raj makes sure we all have our fill to eat. Eventually, the laughter and talking die down as the flames burn lower. I lie on my back with my friends around me, staring up at the meteors streaking overhead.

"...Hey..." Craig says. "Anybody else kinda nervous about going home?"

"I am," Grace admits. "So many questions. What will it be like? What will _we_ be like?" How could we just walk around, go about our lives like normal after everything we've seen and done?"

"I missed an entire quarter," Michelle remarks. "Gonna have to work twice as hard to get back up to the top of the class."

"I missed my whole senior season," Sean murmurs.

"Guys, I bet the entire country was looking for us!" Raj exclaims. "Do you think we're famous? Are we gonna be celebrities when we get back?"

"Heavens, I should hope not," Aleister mutters.

I chuckle. "Come on, Aleister. Don't you wanna hang out with us on the talk show circuit?"

"You're assuming anyone will believe us," Estela points out with a wry smile. "If someone told you about the stuff we've seen, would you have believed them? We'll probably be locked in an insane asylum."

"That's if the government doesn't silence us," Jake adds.

"You two are seriously ruining the mood!" Grace chides.

"Sorry, sorry. We'll be superstars, everything will be sunshine and rainbows, and we'll all be together forever."

"That's better."

"I'm just glad I got to meet you all," I say.

"Cheers to that," Sean agrees.

"Hear, hear," Diego adds.

"I kinda just want us to stay like this forever," Craig admits.

"It is nice..."

We all fall silent together, lying on our backs in a circle around the dying fire, watching the stars fall. The fire fades down to embers. One by one, my friends start drifting into tents to sleep, mumbling exhausted good-nights. Finally, only Diego and I are left, sitting side-by-side on a log, watching the last embers go out.

"...Tomorrow, everything's gonna be different," I murmur.

"...You ought to get some sleep, Allie."

"I know. Not sure if I can, though."

"Get that pilot of yours to hold you. You'll feel safer." He puts his arms around me and pulls me into a hug. "We're gonna be okay, Allie."

I lean into him. "Thanks. You know...I know you don't think of yourself as brave, but you've been so damn strong this whole time. ...I can't do this without you, Diego."

"...Do what?"

"Any of it. Any of what I'm trying to do here."

"...Which is...?"

"...Be a hero."

"Aw, Allie. You know you've always been a hero to me."

"I know. ...And that's why I feel I can be a hero to anyone. ...Don't go anywhere, okay? At least, don't go far."

"...Can I go into a tent to sleep? You're welcome to join me, but Varyyn's gonna be in there with me, and that might get awkward. Plus Jake'd get lonely."

I laugh. "Well, I suppose that's okay."

"Good. Now go get some rest for godssake. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"I will. ...Love you, Diego."

"Love you back, Allie."

I give him one last hug goodnight, and then make my way over to the tent where Jake is waiting for me. I slip inside, zipping it up behind me. It's warm inside. Not tropical, but far warmer than I expected it to be. Jake lies shirtless inside a sleeping bag, gazing up at the stars through the plastic windows at the top of the tent door. I smile.

"Don't you look cozy."

He grins back at me. "It'd be a lot cozier with a warm body next to mine."

"Now, would any random warm body do?" I ask mischievously. "Because I could go get Aleister." I make like I'm going to unzip the tent flap, and he laughs.

"That boy's made of ice, and you know it. C'mere, Princess."

I strip down to my underclothes and snuggle into the sleeping bag beside Jake, easing myself into the crook of his arm.

"How's that?"

"Much cozier." He kisses me gently. "Although...I could think of something that would make this moment even better." He trails his warm fingers up my bare leg.

"Oh really? What did you have in mind?" His fingers travel higher, tracing the curve of my inner thigh.

"Oh, you know...a little of this...a little of that..." His hand slips under my panties, cupping between my legs. His fingers slide between my vulva and I shiver with pleasure.

"Ohhh, a little of that, huh..." He turns towards me, his face bare centimeters from mine, his breath warm on my lips. His blue eyes lock with mine as his fingers press deeper. I gasp. "Jake..."

"...You're so goddamn beautiful it hurts."

I run my own fingers down the length of his firm abdomen until I reach the waistband of his boxers.

"God, I love touching you," I whisper. I slip my hand underneath his shorts and feel him respond to my touch. He arches his head back with a sigh.

"Feeling's mutual."

He eases me onto my back and lowers himself onto me. Chest-to-chest, I can feel his heart thundering against my breasts.

"The things we do to stay warm, huh?"

"I have a feeling it's gonna get a lot more than warm in here."

I slide my hips back, feeling myself against him. He inhales sharply and I nuzzle deeper, kissing along the side of his neck. Somewhere in the process, we both slip out of the last of our clothes.

"We should keep it down...Everyone's just outside..."

Jake leans in, gently nibbling my earlobe. "Screw it," he whispers. "Let 'em hear."

"I like the way you thin— _ohh..."_

I moan rapturously as he sinks into me and his hips start to move against mine, slowly at first, then with more fervor. I wrap my legs around him and match his rhythm. At first, I do make some effort to stay quiet, but that quickly goes out the window. I'm sure we wake everyone, but I don't care. I dig my fingernails into his back, he pulls at my hair, and we both moan and cry out in ecstacy as we climax.

I drift off shortly after we finish, but I don't sleep long. The sky is still filled with stars when I come awake again and find Jake staring through the clear window at the top of the tent. His expression is hard to read, but there is a heaviness surrounding him that makes my belly quiver with dread.

"...Jake? What's wrong?"

He doesn't answer me immediately. His hand finds mine inside the sleeping bag and our fingers entwine. "Listen...there's something I have to tell you."

I feel my heart beat a little faster with anxiety. "...What is it?"

"Tomorrow, when we go to that facility...if that portal works..."

"We'll go home."

"Yeah. And I can't go with you."

His words come crashing down on me like a wave of ice water. "What?"

"I'm a wanted man in the States, Alodia. And if we all just show back up through some crazy-ass portal, there's gonna be a whole lot of publicity. The rest of you get to go home to your families, to your lives. I get to go straight to a cold, hard cell."

I swallow around a growing knot in my throat. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stay behind after you all go through. And then I'm gonna open my own portal to somewhere Lundgren will never find me. Santiago, maybe. Madagascar. The Maldives. Somewhere with warm beaches and cold beers and no super-soldier squad hunting me down."

The full impact of his words leads me breathless. ...He means to leave me. Tomorrow, he means to part from me and never look back. "...But..."

"I don't want to do this, Princess. But it's my only choice. I don't have a future anywhere else."

"No. It's not." My voice is firm as an unshakeable resolve takes hold of me. I can't lose him. Not now. "Jake, you can't run forever."

"I can sure as hell try!" he retorts hotly. I push myself upright to look him in the eye.

"Do you believe that? Really? You're on a remote mystery island that's off the charts of space and time, and they still found you." He scowls up at me, but I see his lips trembling. I brush them gently with mine before I continue. "Arachnid is only getting more powerful. More dangerous. More thorough. And now they've got Rourke International backing them. Wherever you go, wherever you run, they'll find you."

"So what? I just let them capture me? Paint a big ol' target on my head and let them take me in?"

"Jacob Lucas McKenzie, don't insult me by pretending you believe that's what I'm saying. I'm telling you to fight! You get back to the States, and you tell everyone the truth! You expose Lundgren for the traitor that he is, and you make that bastard pay!"

"Wish it were that simple..."

"Why isn't it?" I demand, still trembling with the heat of my hatred for the man who put Jake in this situation.

"Because..." He swallows hard. "...Because it's not just about Lundgren."

"What do you mean?"

He closes his eyes, but I see tears gathering on his lashes. He lets out a heavy breath. "If I go back to the States, I'll have to face everyone again. I have to face Mike's parents."

I feel my anger give way as a wave of sorrow crashes over me, heavy and cold. "Oh...Jake..."

"I didn't kill Mike," he murmurs, his voice thick with tears. "But I promised them I'd keep him safe. I promised them I'd bring their boy home. He died on my watch. He died because of me. And I can't...I...I can't..."

The tears start to trickle from his eyes. I wrap my arms around him, drawing him tight against me.

"I know, Jake. I know it's not easy. I know you carry a lot of guilt. But you can do this. I promise, you can do this. _We_ can do this."

He looks up at me, pinning me with a watery gaze. One hand comes up to cup my cheek.

"...Can we?" he asks softly. "You think so?"

"I know so."

He is quiet for a long moment. Behind his wet eyes, I can see his mind working. His mouth trembles.

"...To hell with it," he says at last. He looks me in the eye. "I love you, Alodia."

For a moment, I can't speak. I can barely process what I just heard. I stare at him, stunned, wide-eyed, long enough that he starts to look a little nervous.

"...Say it again..." I finally whisper. A smile starts to play around his mouth. He leans in and brushes his lips against my ear.

"I love you," he whispers. He presses his forehead to mine. "Alodia Rose Chandler, I love you."

"I love you, Jacob Lucas McKenzie." I press my lips to his fiercely. "I love you so much. There is nothing in this world or the next that we can't face together."

"...I guess it's decided, then. Ah, but let's face it, it was decided the first time you kissed me. ...I can't stay away from you, Princess. Not for anything."

"I never want you to stay away, Top Gun."

Wrapped in each other's arms, Jake and I manage to fall asleep. Early the next morning, after a quick breakfast, we all gather to enact our daring plan.

"All right, people," Sean says. "Let's do this. Everybody remember the drill?"

"I can't speak for everyone," Michelle replies, "but it's not like I have the memory of a goldfish."

"Who should wear the suits?" Aleister asks. "I presume Jake will wear one, as our resident action hero."

"I'll take the compliment, Malfoy, but I gotta be a prisoner. If Lundgren doesn't see me, he'll get suspicious. If I'm in custody, he'll be too happy to notice anything's off."

"Fair point," Sean concedes. "I can take one of them."

"And I've got your back, Number Five," Craig declares. "Let's suit up." The two of them shed their coats and start pulling the jumpsuits and armor on over their clothes.

"Oh, great. Put our lives in the hands of the braintrust," Zahra scoffs. "Gimme one of those stupid suits. You'll need me to help you deactivate security anyway."

"That's three," Estela says. "We've got one more suit."

Sean picks up a helmet and hands it to me. I take it hesitantly.

"Me? You think I should?"

"This whole thing was your idea," Sean replies with a shrug. "And you are kinda the brains around here. If anyone can come up with a plan to get everyone out of custody again, it's you."

I glance around at the others. Seeing them nodding, I quickly swap my coat for the last thermal jumpsuit and armor.

"How do I look? It's a little big on me, but it feels pretty badass."

"Hell yeah!" Craig declares, holding up a hand for me to high-five. "You make that look good!"

"Come on, Craig, you know I make _everything_ look good."

"Preachin' to the choir, bro," he agrees. "Okay! So we all look dope and we're ready to kick some ass!"

Zahra rolls her eyes. "This isn't selfie-time, Craig. We've got work to do."

"Hey, Zahra," Diego drawls. "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

"Don't make me pistol-whip you," Zahra snorts, but I can see a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

We make our way over to the gondola and press the call button. The empty gondola motors along the cables toward us. I take a deep breath.

"Okay...let's get our story straight, first."

"Right," Sean agrees. "Like what happened to the four of us that we weren't captured?"

"We died," Zahra says flatly. "We drowned in the lake during the attack."

"That's dark, dude," Craig mutters.

"So why didn't you report in?" Jake asks.

"Hmm...maybe water damage to our radios?" I suggest.

"What about how we caught the rest of the group?"

"You should say you caught us searching for medical supplies," Estela replies.

"Clever," Aleister concedes. "Sometimes the best lie is the truth."

"And with your arm still in a sling, it adds credence to the story."

"Hey look!" Quinn exclaims, pointing to the helmet under my arm. "You've got an I.D number on the back."

"Yeah, every soldier goes by a serial number," Jake explains. "Call signs are for the elite fighters only."

"We'd better remember them in case we're asked," I warn. I look at the number on the back of my helmet: 3-1-7-2. Six times commits it to memory, but I'm not taking chances. Six times each, I whisper it, trace it in the snow with my finger, mentally repeat it.

The gondola arrives at the platform, and the doors slide open.

"All right, people, this is it," Sean says. He takes a deep breath. "We're as good as we're gonna get. Let's move."

Everyone files aboard. We bind the hands of our 'prisoners', just tight enough to make it convincing, but not so tight as to actually encumber them. Just as I'm about to put my helmet on, I spot Murphy, alone on the precipice. I open my arms.

"...Come here, fella." Murphy leaps into my arms, wriggling and licking my face. I cradle him against me. "Thank you so much, Murphy. For everything. Take care of our friends back at Elyys'tel, okay? Varyyn will meet you back here."

Murphy trills his understanding. I set him down and step onto the gondola, looking over my shoulder as I go. Tears fill my eyes, blurring the image of Murphy alone at the cliff's edge, watching with almost human resignation as I leave him behind. I blink back the tears and turn my attention back to the interior of the gondola. I can't help gasping a little.

The entire hull is glass, even the floor. Thousands of feet below me, I can see the crashing, churning sea. I hear myself gulp. Grace whimpers.

"Oh god...don't look down, don't look down..."

"Here we go," Craig says solemnly. "Everyone ready?"

I look over at my friends, meeting each of their eyes in turn. Each holds my gaze resolutely.

"Last chance to turn back."

Jake smiles wryly. "You kiddin', Princess? The last chance to turn back was on that runway in Costa Rica."

"We're right behind you," Quinn assures me. I nod, my eyes drifting back to Jake. Even knowing it's temporary, the sight of him with his hands bound scares me more than I thought it would. I can't resist giving him one more kiss.

"I'll be right here," I murmur in his ear. "I'll be right beside you the whole time."

He releases a shuddering breath. "I know. I'm not going anywhere, Princess. Promise."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

I pull back and affix my helmet. Sean, Zahra, and Craig follow my lead.

"Here we go," I murmur, my voice slightly distorted through the helmet's speaker. A holographic display flickers on a glass wall. I reach out and tap a button labeled 'RESUME TRANSIT'. The gondola rocks as it starts reel back towards MASADA. I look down through my visor and see the ocean roiling far below my feet.

"The view would be awesome if we weren't heading into a secret paramilitary compound filled with people who wanna kill us," Raj mutters. Then he smirks. "Never mind. It's still awesome."

"Remember you're prisoners," Zahra hisses. "Don't forget to act scared."

"I _am_ scared!" Grace replies.

"That's perfect."

About halfway across, the gondola suddenly jerks to a stop, throwing us all off balance. I press the display. It flashes red in response.

"Shit! We're stuck!"

"Stuck?!" Aleister cries. "This is not a good place to be stuck!"

"Yeah," Jakes says grimly. "And it just got worse."

The sudden roar of a rotor makes me jump. The gondola rocks in a blast of wind. I turn to see a black military chopper rising up on our flank, its massive missile arrays pointing straight at us.

"Ohhh, crap," Craig groans.

I squint. Through the choppers tinted windows, I can make out the pilot, the helmeted soldier Lundgren had called Mouse. A hologram flickers to life on the gondola's glass wall. Katana Chick smirks at us.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Big Bad Wolf. Nice to see you again so soon. Did you miss me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Fiddler," Jake growls.

"You're in Mouse's crosshairs now, so play nice, sweetie. Or I'll have him answer your next quip with a heat-seeking retort." Jake purses his lips and stays silent. Fiddler eyes us from MASADA's high-tech control tower. "This is certainly a surprise, if a pleasant one. We got no report of your capture. Private, care you to explain the situation?"

Sean subtly nudges me. I salute to the screen.

"Yes, ma'am. We captured the targets at the lake."

"We lost our comms in the battle," Zahra explains.

"Sorry 'bout that," Craig adds. Zahra kicks him. "I mean, apologies, ma'am."

"What happened to your comms?" Fiddler demands. "You were in the dark for fourteen hours."

"Water damage."

Fiddler rolls her eyes at my response. "You were warned about keeping that equipment dry!"

"Sorry, ma'am," Sean says quickly. "Won't happen again."

On screen, Fiddler fixes me with a steely gaze. "You there. Identify yourself, Private."

"This is serial number 3-1-7-2."

"Hm. I count nine prisoners. What happened to the other four?"

"Dead, ma'am," Sean replies. "Drowned. The ice broke up in the battle. They went under."

"Too bad. Our client will be disappointed. Okay, then. How did the four of you manage to capture so many of the targets, without any backup? They've been quite uncooperative so far."

"We caught them searching for medical supplies," I explain. "Some of them were injured in the battle."

Fiddler is quiet for a long moment. The helicopter hovers closer.

"Well," she says at last. "One this is clear. You four have earned yourselves a promotion." The tension in the gondola immediately releases. My shoulders relax.

"Thank you, ma'am. We hope we did you proud."

"Mouse, escort them in."

The comms display blinks out, and the gondola rocks to life. The 'prisoners' allow themselves a sigh of relief.

"You seem to have fooled them," Varyyn murmurs.

"Way to get us through!" Quinn says proudly.

"Thanks, but don't get too comfy," I warn her. "Remember, we're just getting started."

We gaze up at MASADA's massive tower. As we draw close, the sun vanishes behind it, and we fall into shadow.

"Here comes the welcoming party," Jake mutters. I hear a subtle quiver in his voice. I wish I could take his hand, but there are a dozen Arachnid troops waiting for us at the landing platform, and I don't dare. As if sensing my thoughts, he adds, "You're gonna have to sell that we're your captives, Princess. Don't be afraid to get rough."

"I never am. ...Don't forget that you have to sell that I'm dead."

"...That might be harder. But I'll pull it off to keep you alive."

Finally, the gondola comes to a stop, and the glass doors slide silently open. I take Jake's advice and shove him hard toward the exit. Sean, Craig, and Zahra follow my lead, forcing the others out.

From the landing pad, the soldiers escort us into a sleek, futuristic laboratory that looks like something straight out of _Star Trek._

"Ah, at last. The gang's all here." The familiar voice makes my blood run cold. Even though I had guessed he would be here, it is difficult not to panic when the soldiers part to allow Everett Rourke through their ranks. He smiles broadly at my friends. "Welcome, my honored guests. The moment of truth is finally at hand."


	13. The Lernaean Gate

Aleister snorts behind me, glaring at his father. "That's rich," he snaps. " 'The moment of truth'. As if you could refrain from lying for a single breath."

"He won't have a breath to draw after I get near him," Estela snarls.

At the back of the cluster of black-clad operatives, I catch a flash of yellow. I bite back a gasp, feeling my lip curl in disgust behind my helmet. Lila. She went straight back to Rourke's side. Her presence does not escape Estela, either. With a furious cry, she lunges for her, but Sean and Craig hold her back.

"You're not goin' anywhere, Montoya!" Sean snaps.

Estela settles, but she doesn't take her eyes off Lila. "...Neither is she."

Rourke suddenly walks toward me, covering the distance between us in three short paces. "I would be remiss if I didn't thank the hero of the hour. What's your callsign, Private?" He holds out his hand for me to shake.

"...3-1-7-2," I manage to answer. I don't shake his hand. He raises an eyebrow.

"A serial number?"

"We identify ourselves by number only. Sir. Our mission is more important than personal glory."

"Ahh. Of course. Excellent work, 3-1-7-2. I'll make sure your superior officer is notified."

"That won't be necessary, sir," I reply, my voice carefully neutral. "It's enough that the client is pleased."

"What's good for the client is good for us," Sean agrees.

"Just glad to be of service," Craig adds.

Rourke nods thoughtfully and picks up my hand to finally shake it. Then he turns to our prisoners. He looks them over with obvious pleasure, savoring their presence.

"Can we get the hell on with this?" Jake growls.

"Wh-what are you planning to do with us?" Grace whimpers.

"Firstly, there is the matter of why you've come this far north," Rourke says.

"You know why I'm here, you bastard!" Estela growls.

"That I do indeed," he agrees. His eerie calm visibly unsettles my friends. His gaze passes from one face to the next with laser-like precision. "Lila told me of your aim. The Lernaean Gate. Very resourceful of you to discover its existence. However, I am afraid I have unfortunate news: it never worked. A failed, discarded prototype. It would have required an impossible amount of energy to function properly."

Anxiety gives way to furtive, concerned glances among the group. The pack on my back, with the Island's Heart and the idols hidden within, suddenly feels very heavy. I have to hope the Island's Heart is powerful enough. And that it isn't discovered before we can find out.

"Lamentably," Rourke continues, "you came for nothing."

"You and your pet will die here," Estela says flatly. "You can be certain of that."

"One way or another, Father," Aleister adds, "we will put a stop to you."

"Ah, Aleister. I regret that circumstances haven't allowed me to be more straightforward with you. But the curtain, as it were, is finally going up. All of La Huerta's mysteries will soon surrender themselves to us. Armed with what we've discovered at MASADA, humanity will be able to bravely march forward-"

"Humanity?!" Aleister shouts. "Bravery? What could you possibly know about such things?! You turned your wife—my _mother—_ into a glorified slave!"

"And ordered your wretched pet to stab my mother in the back!" Estela adds.

"Please," Lila begs. "Just let him explain-"

But everyone begins shouting at once, hurling accusations at Rourke and Lila. Rourke whirls towards me at the other troops.

"What am I paying you for?" he snaps. "Get them in line!"

As the real soldiers step closer, I whirl on my friends, leveling my rifle menancingly. Michelle recoils, her hands in the air.

"Woah! That's uncalled for!"

"Yeah!" Raj cries. "Who..." He abruptly trails off, possibly because he's suddenly remembered why I'm dressed like this.

"All of you shut up before my friends here beat you senseless for disrespecting Mr. Rourke," I growl. I jerk my head at the real soldiers, clearly waiting for an excuse to attack.

"Okay, okay, good point," Diego admits.

"Sorry," Quinn adds.

Rourke turns his attention back on Estela and Aleister. "Estela, I regret that Olivia forced my hand. But she of all people would understand that sacrifices must be made for the greater good. As for Imogen, you're right, Aleister. I gave her back existence, nothing more. But now that you're here, I may finally be able to give her _life_."

"Wha...What are you talking about?!"

"You see?" Lila cries. "This is what I was trying to tell you! Mr. Rourke's plan is in everyone's best interests!"

"If words can't convince you of my desire to better this world, perhaps a demonstration will. We've made promising advancements with a particular extraterrestrial mineral..."

Rourke produces a small shard, similar to the strange crystals I've found all across the island. He places it in front of a robotic arm. He taps a display console, and a laser fires at the crystal fragment. It glows brightly. Rourke takes a beaker full of fluid from a nearby counter and lets it fall next to the shard, spilling its contents. Before our eyes, the beaker splits into an array of future and past versions of itself, some with the fluid still contained and others streaming out in different directions.

"The hell...?" Craig hisses. Zahra jams an elbow into his side. Rourke remains focused on the glowing shard. He reaches down and carefully plucks a full, intact beaker out of mid-air.

"We are so close to being able to replicate this on a larger scale," he murmurs. "Once we have harnessed the power of the Endless, all of time will be ours to command."

"You can't just change what you don't like about things that've already happened!" Grace protests. "There'll be a butterfly effect!"

"But...perhaps...if used in an isolated manner," Aleister murmurs.

"If you're looking for our help with that, Daddy Weirdbucks, you've got another thing coming!"

"No way!" Quinn agrees.

"I presumed there'd be resistance to the idea," Rourke sneers. "Very well. Take them to the containment units."

"Containment units?" Diego echoes. "Like where the Ghostbusters put Slimer?"

"I'm sure you'll all come around. In time."

Arachnid operatives surround my friends, shoving and dragging them toward an elevator.

"Easy!" Raj mutters. "We're going, we're going!"

The doors close and the group disappears. Sean, Zahra, Craig, and I are left alone with Rourke.

"We're still missing a few of the guests, aren't we?" Rourke muses. "The big one, the brave one, the hacker, and...the mystery. ...I will need you four to fetch their corpses from Lake Tethys. We require all twelve bodies for the procedure. Especially Alodia."

"Understood, sir," I reply flatly.

He nods, satisfied, and pockets the shard before leaving through a separate elevator.

"Finally!" Craig mutters. "I can't even breathe through this stupid mask!" He reaches up to remove his helmet, but Zahra puts a hand on his arm.

"Wait." She moves to a control panel and pokes around for a moment, entering several commands. After a minute, she nods. "The security cameras are deactivated. We're clear." She takes off her helmet, and the rest of us follow suit.

"All right. So what now, guys?" Craig asks.

"Phase two," Sean replies. "We get the others before they get put in whatever 'containment' Rourke has in mind."

"Then we make a run for the Gate," I finish.

"Shut up!" Zahra hisses suddenly.

"Damn, Z. Rude."

"No! It's...do you hear that?"

We all go silent. A soft tone is coming from the security panel, where a blue light pulses slowly.

"Zahra! That's the same thing we heard..."

She nods. "...When Iris showed up. She must be trying to tell us something." She moves over to the panel and touches it. Its display suddenly flips to a blueprint of MASADA. A flashing line appears, connecting our current location to an area marked, 'Private Office: O. Montoya'.

"That's Estela's mom!" Sean exclaims. "Iris wants us to go to her office? Why?"

"I don't know. Let's go find out."

We follow the directions on the blueprint, moving as inconspicuously as possible through the halls of the facility. Inside Olivia Montoya's office, dusty lab equipment is spread across counters and desks. A series of sketches depicting robotic constructs are attached to a bulletin board.

"Looks abandoned," Sean observes. "I don't think it's been used since Estela's mom was killed..."

I nudge him. "Hey. Look there."

A blue spotlight emanates from a computer terminal on the far wall. Iris's hologram gradually materializes.

"We can speak safely here," she says. "This room is no longer monitored, having been unused for several years."

"So this is where Estela's mom worked?"

"This is Olivia's old office, yes."

"...What was she working on?"

"That is a highly relevant question. She was one of the first scientists to extrapolate the extent of the Endless's abilities."

"The Vaanti told us the Endless could...move freely between different points in time..."

"MASADA's scientists have proven that the same holds true for spatial distances," Iris says. "In fact, the Lernaean Gate was designed to mimic this method of teleportation."

"So, how do we find the others and get them to the Gate?" Sean asks.

"The prisoners have been taken to Hydrodynamic Statis for processing. That laboratory is just a few floors beneath us, but it's constantly under heavy guard. There's an experimental weapon in this office that should be able to neutralize any Arachnid soldiers found there."

"I'm down for anything that involves 'experimental' and 'weapon'," Zahra declares, grinning.

"Hell, yeah!" Craig agrees.

"Once you've freed everyone, you'll need to proceed to Theoretical Prismatics in Sub-Level Nine, deep in the underlying pillar of rock," Iris explains.

"And that's where the Lernaean Gate is?"

"Correct. It is among a number of devices developed at MASADA before the limitations of standard prisms were fully understood. The Island's Heart will be more than sufficient to finally activate it."

"Sweet," Craig says. "So, where's this weapon you're talkin' about?"

"There is a cabinet to your left marked with a hazard sym-bol-" The hologram starts to flicker erratically.

"Iris? What's wrong?"

Her holographic eyes go wide. "I'm...being re-con-figured!" she whispers. She looks at me with as human an expression of desperation and fear as I have ever seen on her blue-lighted face. "Alodia! Please promise you'll get Aleister and Varyyn to safety!"

"Wait, Varyyn?" Sean asks. "What about him in particular?"

"Everett wants to prepare a new host. Directive 1908 will force me to-" The hologram flickers and abruptly dies.

"...That ain't good," Zahra mutters.

Something ice cold snakes through my insides. Like time itself on La Huerta, memories and experiences are converging in my mind. Aleister. Varyyn. Iris. A new host. A cold laboratory. The vision granted to me by the Canis idol flickers through my mind, and with it a thought: _I have to get Diego out of here._ I thought the idol was showing me the Observatory, but it might have been MASADA after all.If I can't get him out of here, if I can't get Varyyn out of here, I fear that this is the place where my best friend will die, trying to save the man he loves.

Craig has gone over to the cabinet Iris indicated. "Huh...there's a diagram on the door." He kneels down to look at it and gasps. "Holy shit! It's a shoulder-mounted laser cannon!"

The rest of us hurry to gather around him.

"Oh, my god! You're right!"

"Guys, we gotta get this open! It's about to get all Gundum up in here!"

"...Gangnam?" Sean asks.

"Gundam," Zahra clarifies. "Craig, hold up for a sec. Lemme look at the secur-"

"Yo, I _need_ this in my life!" Craig giddily taps a bunch of panels on a nearby display.There's a loud _clunk_ as machinery springs into motion. I turn around, searching for the source.

Something wraps around my head with startling force, throwing me backwards and blocking my vision. I yelp, staggering against the momentum, my hands flying to my face.

"Alodia!" Sean's hands grip my shoulders, steadying me. "Are you all right?"

"What the fuck is on my face?!"

"It looks like a VR headset!" Zahra exclaims. "It's freaking latched onto her head!"

"What the hell?!" Craig yelps.

I blink as a bright blue...room?...appears around me.

"Alodia?" Zahra calls. "Can you hear me? I'm tryna turn it off!"

A woman in a lab coat enters the virtual room and turns toward me with urgency in her eyes. I recognize her in an instant, but she introduces herself anyway.

"Hello. My name is Olivia Montoya." She does not wait for me to respond before continuing. "For several years, I've been assigned to Rourke International's Omega Specimen project. This simulation was created in order to illustrate how hugely destructive Omega could be if allowed to be seen to completion. Everything you're about to experience directly represents what the machine will do to the specimen, and thereby what the specimen could do to our world."

The blue room and the woman fade from view. I'm suddenly standing on a busy city street. Although I have never been here, I don't really need to be well-traveled to recognize the city based on one iconic landmark.

"Big Ben!" I exclaim. "I...I think I'm in London!"

I look down at myself and find my arms have been replaced with robotic limbs.

"Okay, Alodia. Try to stay calm." Zahra's voice seems to come from the sky. "I think the simulation is responsive to biofeedback."

I want to touch something, to interact with the city around me. Virtual people, looking startlingly real, go about their daily lives on the street, apparently unconcerned by my presence. I reach out to touch one of them, curious. A pulse of blue light flares from my mechanical hands, its eerie glow reflected on the face of a young mother pushing a sleeping baby in a stroller. And then, in the blink of an eye, the infant is an adolescent, still asleep in—or rather, on top of—the stroller, wrapped in a baby blanket. The mother looks down at her transformed child and screams. The sound is real...too real...

"Oh, god!" I cry. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Yo, Alodia! You gotta simmer down!" Craig says urgently. "Your levels are goin' crazy!"

The scene abruptly alters around me. I'm on another bustling city street, this one lined with modern high-rises. Again, I feel compelled to reach out and interact with my surroundings. I try to resist, but it's like trying to walk against a hurricane. Oh, god, what's happening...? What am I...?

If I have to interact with something, I make myself concentrate on the reflective surface of the building in front of me. As I approach, I am confronted with a reflection in its glass facade. My own reflection. Except instead of my own body, I see a figure in a red spacesuit enclosed in a massive robot. I am struck with a sudden memory. On the beach, back on the tropical side of the island, the first time we met Varyyn. The day he touched my forehead and our minds linked. I saw images of his mother. Of Elyys'tel. And...of a figure in a battered red spacesuit. ...Was that the Omega project?

The building's windows ripple with blue energy. The outer wall is eaten away, exposing several floors behind it. The destablized structure groans loudly, leaning forward. I feel my heart wedge in my throat, but I force it down again. This isn't real...just gotta breathe...apples, apples, _apples_!

The scene dissolves, returning me to the blue room. Olivia looks at me grimly.

"You've just experienced firsthand the disastrous effects of the Omega Specimen," she informs me. "If you were shocked by what you saw, I urge you to contact your government officials and warn them to take action. Rourke International must be stopped before this project becomes a terrible reality. Thank you."

"...Guys? I think it's shutting down..."

"Hold on, Alodia!" Craig cries. "I'll save you!"

"Craig, wait-"

I hear something shatter nearby. The headset's lock detatches. The visor falls away, landing in my waiting hands. Nearby, smoke rises from a smashed computer terminal. I feel my knees buckle, but Sean keeps me upright while I regain my balance.

"Are you all right?"

I look down at the device in my hands. I get my feet under me and straighten, nodding.

"I'm okay. That...was interesting to say the least."

"What'd you do that for, you big idiot?" Zahra snaps at Craig. "I told you it was about to let her go!"

"Whatever," Craig scoffs. "You're welcome for saving your life, bro."

I grin. "Thanks, Craig. Should we see if we can get that laser cannon out?"

"You know it!"

"Craig!" Zahra yelps. "Do. Not. Touch. Anything!"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" He absently reaches out toward a screen, preparing to swipe the surface.

"Dude!" Sean cries. "Seriously!"

"Ugh! Fine!"

Zahra squints at a terminal next to the cabinet. "Yep. I should be able to get this bad boy out. It'll just take a little time."

"One walkin' tank complete with artillery, comin' up."

"Based on what we've seen so far, I think we're gonna need that," I remark.

Zahra taps away at the display screen beside the cabinet, quickly disabling the lock. She pops open the door. A white, octagonal cylinder is revealed inside, connected to a shoulder harness and peripheral devices.

"Okay, Craig. Remember, stealth first," Zahra warns. Craig rushes to grab the cannon, balancing it on his arm while he attaches the straps.

"Stealth first," he agrees. "And pew pew BOOM second!" He struts around the room with the sleek cylinder jutting from his shoulder. Sean grins.

"You know how to use that thing, Hsiao?"

"Let's find out." He aims the weapon at a cleaned-out desk in the corner and squeezes the trigger. With a sharp crackling noise, a column of blazing red appears in the cannon's path, instantly reducing the desk to a pile of smoldering ash.

"...Woaaah..." I breathe.

"Oh, whaaaaaaaaaaat? That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Zahra grins. "Okay, I gotta admit. That was awesome."

"Nice shot," I agree. "We'd better get moving, though."

"Just try to keep that thing pointed away from us, okay, Sixty-eight?" Sean says wryly.

"You got it!"

I can't help noticing Craig's childlike grin, and the gleeful bounce in his step as we file out. We return to the main entrance and find the elevator our friends left through. We press the button, and the doors slide open without a fuss. We step inside and Sean leans down to look at a list of floors on a display panel.

"Which one are we looking for again?"

"Hydrodynamic Statis," I remind him. "That's where they took the others."

"Right. Good memory." He taps the screen and the doors close.

"Helmets on, people," Zahra warns. "We're about to have company."

The elevator begins to descend smoothly as we reaffix our helmets. After a minute the doors open to a corridor lit by stark florescents. A voice comes from somewhere ahead, familiar and threatening.

"Such a shame," Lundgren drawls. "You coulda been a hero, McKenzie."

"We gotta get closer," I hiss. "But keep a low profile."

"Copy that," Sean murmurs.

The corridor takes a sharp turn, and opens into a large room. Pressing myself flush against the wall, I peek around the corner.

Our friends are lined up along a wall of a laboratory, facing towards it. Their bonds have been cut, but their hands are pressed to the wall in front of them and a row of Arachnid soldiers hold rifles at their backs. Mercifully, the soldiers backs are largely turned toward the wall behind which I'm hunkering with the others. I feel every muscle in my body tense. Lundgren has his hand clamped around Jake's throat, the powered exosuit lifting him into the air. Sean puts a steadying hand on my arm.

"Should've left it alone, son," Lundgren is saying. "Would've turned out better for everyone."

"Lundgren..." Jake chokes, glaring daggers down at his former commanding officer. "You delusional...son of a...One day you're gonna...go down...for what you've done!"

"That day ain't today, McKenzie."

"Today's your day," Fiddler adds from where she stands at Lundgren's shoulder. She plucks the cigar from between Lundgren's teeth and takes a puff herself, blowing the smoke into Jake's face. Jake coughs, turning his furious gaze on her.

"My...only mistake was...trusting someone like you, Fiddler!" He spits the words.

"Aww, that hurts. Really does. Fortunately, you'll have plenty of time to reconsider your harsh words while you're in your pickle jar."

Fiddler gestures through an observation window. Endless rows of stasis tubes stand in the adjoining room, each containing a pale, contorted figure kept on the edge of life by support systems. I switch off my suit's voice amplification and lean over to whisper to the others.

"Those tubes are just like the one we found Rourke in back at The Celestial."

"Holy crap!" Craig hisses. "Who are those people?"

"Don't know," Sean answers. "But if we don't act fast, our friends are gonna join them."

"Enough talk, Lundgren," Fiddler says impatiently, returning the cigar to his mouth. "Let's stick him in."

The servos on Lundgren's armor grind as he tosses Jake against the wall. Jake slumps to his knees, clutching his bruised throat. I feel myself trembling.

"Go ahead," Lundgren snarls. "I'm sick of looking at the bastard. Stick 'em all in. You and Mouse, come see me when you're done."

"Yes, sir," Mouse answers flatly.

Lundgren stalks to the door, emerging into the hall where the four of us are watching. I snap to attention, saluting. "Sir!"

The others quickly follow my lead. Lundgren barely gives us a passing glance. He heads for the elevator, and the doors slide shut behind him.

"...Jerk," Craig mutters.

"He ignored us, ya dummy!" Zahra says. "That's a good thing! Come on. We don't have much time."

We march into the stasis lab. Two Arachnid operatives are dragging Jake towards a circular platform while Fiddler looks on, a smug smile curving her lips. Jake struggles valiantly, dragging his feet.

"Get...offa me!" he snarls.

"You're so cute when you're angry and helpless," Fiddler purrs.

"Stop it!" Diego cries. He steps forward, but a hand gripping his arm and rifle poking into his back stop him. "Let him go!"

"This is a coward's solution!" Varyyn snarls. "We should fight to settle the matter!"

"Are they going to put all of us in those tanks?" Grace whimpers.

Fiddler grabs Jake by the collar and shoves him hard, sending him sprawling over atop the disc in the middle of the room.

"Turn it on," she snaps.

"Initiating discharge," Mouse replies. He reaches toward a terminal.

Sean abruptly raises his rifle, and fires a round at the serveillance camera that scans the area from the ceiling. It blasts off its mounting, clattering noisily to the floor.

"What the hell?!" Fiddler cries.

Jake pulls himself up to his hands and knees. "Looks like you've been had, predator," he replies, smirking. In one swift motion, he brings his leg around, kicking Fiddler's legs out from under her. She topples over backward, crying out in surprise and fury. The four of us rip off our Arachnid helmets.

"It's the missing four!" Mouse exclaims. "They're attacking!"

"Too bad with that camera out, none of your buddies will see me kick your ass!" Craig roars.

The gathered arachnids rush to neutralize the four imposters. Fiddler reaches for an activation panel on her suit. Suddenly, she seems to have melted into the wall.

"We'll just see about that!" she snickers. "Let's play hide-and-seek!"

She laughs, and I hear the sound of blades singing as their pulled from their sheaths.

"I _really_ don't like her!" Zahra growls.

We keep our eyes peeled for any shimmer or flicker that might give her away. A thin layer of fog clings to the floor. Craig cranks a dial on the laser cannon.

"All right, I'm chargin' up!"

"So much of you to slice," Fiddler laughs. "Where do I start? How about right _here!_ "

She reappears in front of Craig, katanas raised and poised to strike. One blade arcs towards his neck. Red light flares in the barrel of Craig's cannon. Fiddlers eyes widen. She reacts quickly enough to cross her swords defensively, but the blast still sends her flying across the lab. She hits the opposite wall with a sickening crunch and slides to the floor. Her twisted, half-disintegrated blades tumble from her slack grip.

"Hello, Craig's little friend!" Diego exclaims.

Cracks appear in a few of the the stasis tubes near the wall where Fiddler hit. Over the sounds of struggle, I can make out a computerized voice, feminine and placid.

"Warning: Units three, seven, and sixteen compromised. Health of hotel guests remains stable."

"Guests?!" Michelle cries. "Those are The Celestial's guests?!"

"They were never evacuated!" I growl. "Dammit, of course Rourke was lying!"

"Why are they here?!" Grace asks. "What could Rourke want with them?"

The other Arachnid soldiers take advantage of our distraction to surround the four of us, raising their guns.

"Guys, get 'em!" Diego shouts.

As one, the rest of our friends descend on the soldiers in a wild, artless knock-down-drag-out brawl, tackling, punching, and biting.

"You messed with the wrong pre-med!" Michelle snarls, grabbing one soldier's arm and twisting it violently behind his back.

Aleister gets another soldier around the neck from behind. "I have been saving all my rage for a moment like this! Have at you!"

"Fall, men of the Hydra!" Varyyn roars.

Sean and Estela manage to pin down Mouse. Michelle and Aleister have disarmed two soldiers and turned their own rifles against them.

"Bring 'em to the disc over there!" Zahra calls. "I got an idea!"

"You heard her, creeps!" Michelle snaps. "Move!"

She and Raj prod the soldiers over to the central platform. Sean drags Mouse's unconscious body while Estela hefts Fiddler.

"Please, no!" one soldier begs. "We're nobodies! Our salary's less than 40k!"

Zahra is already typing something into a touch panel. "You're overpaid," she says flatly. "Have a nice bath."

Circular hatches open beneath the soldiers' feet. They fall, splashing into a vat of green fluid before the hatches snap shut above them. For a moment, we're all silent, trembling, gasping for breath.

"Man..." Raj mutters. "I'm ready for a vacation from this vacation."

"That was damned close, Princess," Jake says from behind me. "Your timing's somethin' else."

"You can repay me later," I reply, tossing my hair. Then, I drop my rifle and wheel around to throw my arms around him. He holds me tightly against him.

"You know I will," he murmurs, stroking my hair.

"Okay, people, we gotta keep moving!" Sean calls. "Next stop is the Gate."

We follow Sean towards the elevator and crowd in. He presses the button and we're whisked down to Sub-Level Nine. The doors open, and we step out into a corridor.

"What is that?" Varyyn asks, frowning. "Do you see that up ahead?"

"Shit!" Sean hisses. "Security scanner. Get your helmets back on!"

A high-pitched electronic whine assaults my ears, followed by an electronic voice: "All personnel, please stand by for security screening."

"Aaaand, we're screwed," Zahra mutters.

"Wait, that's not what you're supposed to say!" Raj exclaims.

"Yeah!" Craig agrees. "Usually you're all, 'I got this. Can't no security system hold me down' and stuff."

"Sorry, guys," she answers ruefully. "I don't have this one."

I grit my teeth. "Everybody get behind me," I growl. "We're too close to mess this up now."

Several cameras swivel toward us. A dot projector scans each of us in turn. We all hold our breath for what seems like an eternity of silence.

"No intruders detected," the voice declares. "Access granted."

A collective sigh arises from the group, and the thick cloud of anxiety dissolves, melting into the floor.

"We made it! Come on!"

We continue down the corridor to a massive chamber, filled with computers, monitors, consoles and all manner of derelict devices and failed prototypes. The whole room is overgrown with vines and moss.

"Uh-oh," Diego groans. "I dunno if anything down here is still gonna work..."

We spread out, wandering through the functionally ancient laboratory, examining the obselete devices, looking for any sign of life in any of them.

"Hey, Princess. Get a load of this."

I join Jake by a small window in the wall. He wipes away a thin layer of dust, revealing a chamber contained in the wall. I peer into the semi-darkness inside. When I see the amber idol winking back at me, the howling werewolf on his pedestal, even the anxiety that grips me is by now so familiar that it's almost comfortable.

"It's another idol," I remark, almost calmly.

"In the middle of a laser grid," he observes. "I reckon they were scanning it for something."

"Can we get it out?"

"Hmm. There's always a chance an alarm will sound if the beams are disrupted, but...there might be a way."

"We might need it." I nod towards the pack on my back. "Besides, we've almost got the whole set. Might as well collect 'em all. What's your idea?"

He grins. "Watch and learn."

A wrench lies discarded in the dust under a console. He picks it up and shatters a nearby pane of mirrored glass. He carefully pries open the scanner compartment and uses the mirror shards to reflect the laser beams.

"Piece of cake." He slips the idol out, and holds it out to me. "Here you go." I brace myself and grasp it. The facility is washed away and I fall through time.

… _I land in the cockpit of a military plane. Oh, god, please, not this. Even before I see him—see both of them—I know where I am. And when. Jake sits in the pilot's seat, casually manipulating the throttle._

 _"Arachnid flight deck, this is Wolf, reporting clear skies over Kharzistan," he says into his comm unit._

 _A response crackles out of the radio: "Roger that, Wolf. Any sign of rebel activity?"_

 _Beside him, the copilot leans forward, squinting at a radar console. A strikingly handsome young man, dark-haired and olive-skinned with deep brown eyes. ...Mike..._

 _"Nada," Mike replies. "Looks like a straight shot to mother base, just like we planned."_

 _"Copy," the voice on the radio responds. "Safe flying."_

 _I want to scream at them to get out now. That they're not safe. That Mike is going to die, that Jake's world is going to be shattered. But there's no stopping what's already been. I am like Scrooge visiting Christmas past. Invisible and silent as a grave._

 _Mike shuts off the radio and leans back in his seat. "So here we are. The two best pilots in the entire Navy, and we're stuck on recon duty."_

 _"Hey, I don't mind," Jake replies, shrugging. "I'll take a smooth boring recon run over a dogfight any day."_

 _"Whatever you say, Grandpa," Mike snorts. Jake leans over and playfully punches Mike's shoulder._

 _"Word of advice, Mike? Drop the whole 'nicknames' schtick. It's seriously lame."_

 _"Pff. Says you. Ladies love it."_

 _"Riiiight. Is that why you struck out with every girl in the port last shore leave?"_

 _"What can I say? I'm an acquired taste." Jake laughs, leaning back in his seat. Mike watches him for a moment, then leans forward. "...Hey...Jake..."_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"...I'm scared."_

 _Jake's brow knits with concern. "Mike..."_

 _"I know we gotta do this. I know it's the right thing. I know Lundgren's gotta be stopped. But the minute we land this plane and walk into the General's office, our lives change forever. Lundgren's powerful and ruthless. He's gonna send people after us. ...After our families..."_

 _"Look, I'm scared too. But I trust in the system. I believe in justice. Lundgren's been selling US weapons to our own enemies. He's turned us all into mercenaries, working for the highest bidder. When we tell everyone what he's done, they'll listen. They'll protect us. And he'll pay."_

 _"I wish I had your certainty."_

 _"We already made our choice, kid. All we have is now."_

 _Mike raises an eyebrow. "Was that a nickname?"_

 _Jake snorts. "Not on your li-" The grating blare of an alarm cuts him off. "What the hell?"_

 _Mike slides over, looking at the panels. "Oh, shit! We've got a row of surface-to-air missile launchers on the ridge!"_

 _"What? That's impossible! They're all supposed to be on the other side of the mountains!"_

 _"Well, they're here! And they're locking onto us fast!"_

 _"Lundgren!" Jake growls. "He fuckin' found out!"_

 _"Oh, my god! The whole mission was just a-"_

 _Below, the ground shudders as several missiles launch skyward._

 _"Evasive maneuvers!" Jake shouts, grabbing the throttle._

 _"Oh god...oh no..."_

 _"Hang on, Mike! Just...hang...on..." The alarm bleats, almost sounding terrified. Jake pushes down on the yoke, ducking beneath a missile, and finding three more visible through the windshield. "I can't dodge 'em all! We gotta eject!"_

 _Jake flips switches and punches buttons. A light turns green. He grabs his eject lever. He looks over at Mike and sees fear on his face. The light on his console is red._

 _"Mine's jammed..."_

 _"You've gotta be kidding!" The missiles are spiraling towards them, drawing closer. "Rip open that panel! It's the wiring-"_

 _"There's no time, Jake! You gotta go!"_

 _"Like hell! You're one dumb sumbitch if you think I'm leaving you here!"_

 _"...We already made our choice, kid."_

 _Whatever consciousness I have here is screaming. I might as well be in Jake's body, as clearly as I can feel his agony. I might as well be back on the rooftop of The Celestial, half-consumed by the portal, gripping Diego's wrists and realizing that he means to sacrifice himself to save me. But this is worse. I know how this ends._

 _Mike reaches over and yanks Jake's eject lever._

 _"Mike! No!" Blasting pins fire, tearing the ceiling off the cockpit. Jake's seat launches out of the plane. Above him, two missiles shatter the hull as fireball blooms in the sky, spewing smoking chunks of debris. "MIKE!"_

 _… I don't see him land. I'm also ejected, hurtling forward through time, landing in a jail cell. Jake paces the floor like a tiger in a zoo, his hands bound by thick metal shackles. He spins towards a camera, mounted in the corner of the room._

 _"Hey! Phony Stark! You watching? You tuned in to the Jake Channel? Ain't nothin' better on?" He glares at the camera, putting up his middle finger. "I ain't gonna dance for you! I ain't gonna be one of your lackeys! Never! But if you're looking for some entertainment, how about you and me, outside, no guns? I'll give you a show, you piece of-"_

 _An angry fist pounds on the cell door and a soldier on the other side leans through the grate. "Hey! Keep your mouth shut in there, prisoner!"_

 _"Why don't you come in here and make me, Peter Parker?" Jake snarls. "Or you too scared?"_

 _"Why would I bother...when I can do this?"_

 _The guard slams his fist down on a button near the wall. Jake cries out in agony as a current surges through the metal floor, delivering a vicious shock. He collapses, trembling and gasping, while the guard laughs._

 _"Five years, man. Five years I've been doing that. Never gets old." Jake coughs, groaning under his breath. "Now then. You ready to play nice? Or am I gonna have to g-"_

 _An alarm blares out overhead, interrupting the guard. Red lights flash and klaxons bellow. There is a sharp crackle of static and a voice comes on the loudspeaker._

 _"Attention, all Rourke goons. This is a pre-recorded announcement from Security Chief Namazi. If you're hearing this, it means I've activated the Killswitch Protocal. Which means you're pretty much screwed. I've set all the reactors to overload, so in about twenty minutes, nothing'll be left of this compound but a smoldering crater. Have a nice day, and burn in hell."_

 _The voice cuts off. The guard stares at the speaker as if he isn't quite sure what he's just heard. Then the door to Jake's cell slides open. Jake smirks._

 _"Well, well, well."_

 _The guard finally seems to be shaken out of his stupor. "Crap!" He dives for the button, but Jake's faster. He leaps, rolls, and lunges forward, tackling the guard to the ground. Wrists still shackled, Jake yanks out the guard's sidearm and shoots him twice in the head._

 _"Payback's a bitch," he spits. He throws the guard's body aside and makes a break for it._

 _Inside the MASADA complex, it's total chaos. Guards run around frantically, shouting, scrambling, fighting the prisoners rushing out of their cells in a wild melee. Jake casts his eyes around the corridors and spots an open doorway leading out to the hangar. A helicopter sits on the helipad, calling to him. He stares at it longingly for a moment, then turns and runs the other way, deeper into the compound._

 _My consciousness follows him, but I lose track of him for a short time in the chaos. Five minutes later, I see him stagger through the doors of the stasis lab, carrying a rifle. His manacles are broken at one end, the chain dangling from his right wrist like a long black snake. He's roughed up, bleeding from a bullet wound in one thigh. His face is pale, his expression tight with pain, and he struggles to catch his breath. But there's a trail of dead Arachnid soldiers behind him._

 _He limps forward, one hand on his wound, pushing through the room until he finds the pod he's looking for. He gently lays down the rifle. With a trembling hand, he taps at the console on the side of the pod. It slides open._

 _Naked, slick with green slime, my limp body slumps out of the pod into Jake's waiting arms. He lowers me gently to the floor, rocking me and brushing slime-coated strands of hair off my face._

 _"Come on, come on...wake up, Alodia..."_

 _My consciousness fades from the place where I was observing overhead. As the woman in Jake's arms comes around, I sink into my own body. I feel my eyes flutter open, squinting against the light. I moan softly, struggling to focus on the face above me._

 _"...Jake? What-"_

 _He smiles, stroking my cheek. "Hey. There's my sleeping beauty."_

 _"Where...how..."_

 _He pulls me into a fierce hug. I clutch him back, but my grip is weak._

 _"You've been frozen a long time," he explains. "But you're here now. I got you."_

 _"How...how long...?" I whimper, terrified of the answer._

 _"Five years almost. I'll explain it all later. Right now, the two of us got a plane to catch." Bracing me, he helps me to my feet. I slip on the puddles beneath me, weak and unsteady on legs unused in five years. "Steady, now. It's just this way."_

 _A gunshot cracks the air like a whip. Jake chokes, stiffening. He looks down. I look down. I cry out. A dark, shining flower of blood is blossoming over his stomach, wetting his shirt._

 _"No..." he whispers. "Not now..."_

 _He slumps to his knees, pulling me down with him. I turn to see a familiar figure looming in the shadows, a pistol in his hand._

 _"Don't move," Mouse orders._

 _"No!" I scream. My cry is equal parts agony, fury, and helpless terror. Not now. My thoughts and Jake's are the same. Not now..._

 _Mouse steps closer, his pistol leveled at me. I scramble back, but my atrophied limbs can't carry me very far. Mouse's finger tightens on the trigger, and I brace myself for the pain. Jake roars in fury, and I hear the sound of bodies colliding. I open my eyes and find Jake and Mouse struggling on the floor. Finally, Jake grabs the dangling chain of his shackles and gets it around Mouse's neck. On his back, Mouse pinned on top of him, Jake pulls back as hard as he can. The soldier's neck snaps with a sickening crack, and he goes limp._

 _"Jake...Jake!"_

 _I drag myself to his side and throw my weight into pushing the dead soldier off him. Blood spreads over his stomach, staining the floor beneath him. His face is ashen, his breathing shallow and labored._

 _"No...no, no, no..." I press down on the wound, desperate to stop the bleeding. "Stay with me, Jake! Just stay with me!"_

 _"Run..." he whispers, tears in his eyes. "Get outta here...the place is...gonna blow..."_

 _"I'm not leaving you!" I cry, choking on a sob. "I can't! I can't leave you, Jake!"_

 _He reaches up to cup my cheek gently. "I'm glad...I got to see you...again...just once..."_

 _I reach up to grip the hand on my cheek, kissing his palm tearfully. "I love you, Jake...I love you..."_

 _And then hand in mine goes limp. I look down and see his mouth still curved in a soft smile..._

… The world flashes white. I'm back in Theoretical Prismatics. I blink, feeling moisture in my eyes and on my cheeks. Jake's hand comes up to cup my cheek, gently brushing at the tears with his thumb.

"What's the matter?" He asks, his brow knitted with concern. I swallow hard, but I can't immediately answer. Jake draws me into a gentle embrace, cradling my head against his chest. "Hey. It's all right."

"...Thank you, Jake."

"For what?"

"For something you'll never have to do. Not after today."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "Sometimes I can't keep up with your riddles, Princess. Come on. Let's find this Gate and get you home."

As Jake turns away, I look down at the idol gleaming in my white-knuckled grip. Silently, I pull off my backpack to add it to the others. ...Eleven idols. One remaining. ...But after today, it won't be my concern any longer.

"Oh, wow!" Grace exclaims. "Guys, come look at this!"

I hurry over to where she stands in front of a yawning cylindrical chamber. A narrow catwalk threads the middle, ending in a colossal, paneled sphere.

"Woah," Craig breathes. "Is this it?"

"...The Lernaean Gate," Aleister murmurs.

"...We actually made it."

I strip off my Arachnid disguise and join Zahra at the terminal. "Any idea how to turn it on?"

"Looks like the power coupling leads here," she murmurs thoughtfully. She points to a steel plate between two large electrodes. A pile of fine dust is in the center of the plate. "Whatever they tried to power this with last time got burnt out fast."

I pull the Island's Heart out of my backpack and look over at Varyyn.

"...Are you sure about this? If the Heart isn't powerful enough, it could be destroyed."

"You have risked greatly for my people, Alodia," he says solemnly. "Now we will risk this for you."

I nod, and gently place the Heart between the electrodes. Instantly, the console hums to life.

"That's a good sound, right?" Raj asks. "I think that's a good sound."

"The sphere!" Quinn exclaims. I look over to see the giant mechanism starting to rotate, picking up speed. Within a minute, it's panels break off and orbit the center, revealing a dark, pulsing ball of energy within.

"It...it works!" Aleister gasps.

"The targeting's live!" Zahra calls. "I put in Hartfeld's coordinates."

"We should hurry," Michelle says. "We managed to sneak all the way down here, but they're definitely gonna notice this big of an energy spike!"

"Uh...are we sure it's safe?" Diego asks uncertainly.

"Only one way to find out," Sean replies.

We stand staring at the swirling, crackling portal, eyeing it warily. Finally, I swallow and step toward the thundering sphere.

"...I'll go first," I declare. "I'll try it and make sure it's safe."

"Not alone, you don't!" Sean says firmly, stepping up beside me.

"You can't go first if I go first!" Raj declares. One by one, my friends join me on the catwalk. Diego hangs back a moment, looking at Varyyn.

"...Varyyn, after we go through, take the Heart and get outta here." He swallows. "Don't get caught, okay? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"You would not be able to know know either way," Varyyn replies ruefully.

"...I'd know," Diego answers with conviction. "Somehow, I'd know."

Varyyn's lips tremble, his eyes filling. Taking Diego's face in his hands, he kisses him fiercely. Diego kisses him back, and pulls him into a last embrace.

"I will wait for you, Diego," Varyyn whispers.

"For a million years?" Diego asks wryly, his voice thick with tears.

"...For eternity."

I pass my gaze to Jake, who seems to be hesitating at the edge of the catwalk. "...Jake?"

Jake runs a hand through his hair. "...I've been running for so long. I feel like it's all I know. From Lundgren. From the law. From Mike's parents. Gotta admit, right now, all my body wants to do is to keep running..." He looks at me and smiles weakly. "...But I can't run forever."

He steps up beside me. Varyyn finally releases Diego, quietly urging him to join us. He looks up, meeting my eyes.

"Goodbye, my friends. It was the greatest honor of my life to know you."

"We ought to move this along," Aleister declares. "This radiation cannot be good for our health."

Jake looks at me. "You ready, Princess?"

I take his hand. "Now I am."

"Oh, good. For a second, I thought I was gonna have to hold Malfoy's hand instead."

"Why? You nervous?" He squeezes my hand.

"Not anymore."

I look around me and find Diego nearby, his tear-stained face twisted with the effort of holding back sobs. I stretch my other hand towards him. His lips curve into a quivering smile as he takes it, gripping it tightly. He scrubs tears from his eyes with the back of his free hand.

"...Promise me something, Allie."

"Anything."

"When we get home, we're spending all weekend in our pajamas, catching up on six months of TV."

"That's a promise. With a pile of junk food to go with it."

The twelve of us encircle the portal sphere. I grip the two hands in mine, taking in a deep breath. "Okay, everybody together now. One...two...three."

As one, I and eleven people who mean more to me than anyone else in the world step together into the light. With them surrounding me, there is nothing in the world that is impossible. I swear I would give my life for any one of them. Bathed in soft white light, I feel myself stretch and shrink, dissolve and reconsitute, transmitted across dimensions, falling through the quantum foam. Through it all, we hold each other's hands. Jake and Diego's hands stay firmly in mine, and I can feel each of my friends' presences, familiar and comforting.

Finally, I feel something solid underfoot. The light, soft and gentle a moment ago, suddenly turns harsh and blinding. I wince, squinting.

"Guys, do you feel that?"

"I think we've landed somewhere," Zahra calls.

"I still can't see," Diego says.

"But we made it!" Grace cries. "We really made it!"

Gradually, the haze starts to fade. I become aware of an oppressive, stifling heat. The bright light gives way to...red. Bloody, fiery red.

"Wh...what...?" Quinn's voice is a whimper.

A colossal volcano looms in the distance, disgorging fire and smoke into the sky. An ocean of smoldering lava flows to the horizon.

"Dammit, Z! You got the coordinates wrong!"

"I did not! I wouldn't make that dumb a mistake!"

"Then where the hell are we?" Michelle demands.

Shielding my eyes, I gaze out at the apocalyptic scene. And that's when my surroundings start to come into focus. ...The clocktower...the stadium...the library. All visible from the rooftop patio of one block of freshman suites.

"...The Gate worked," I murmur, my voice quivering. "...We're home."


	14. No Promises

We stand together in heavy, stunned silence, looking out over the fiery hellscape.

"Oh, god..." Diego whispers. "You're saying this is..."

"...Yeah." Sean's voice is hoarse, his expression twisted with agony. "...It's Hartfeld."

"No," Raj growls through gritted teeth. "Nah, man. No way!"

"Yeah, last I remember, there wasn't a freakin' volcano in the middle of Frat Row!" Craig declares angrily.

"I don't understand!" Quinn whimpers. "What _happened_?"

"Surely this is the distant future," Aleister says uncertainly. "It must be..."

I dare to turn slowly. The lava stretches as far as I can see.

"What the hell are we supposed to do here?" Michelle cries.

"...We have to figure out what happened," I murmur.

"Good point," Zahra agrees. "We have no idea how to stop this if we don't know what it is."

Sean wheels on me, his eyes flashing. "There could be people out there right now, suffering!" he snarls. "Don't you care?!"

"We do, Sean," Michelle says gently. "We're just trying to save everyone instead of however few have lived this long."

One by one, we make our way down the building's creaking fire escape to the street level. Magma bubbles up from cracks in the asphalt, but there is miraculously enough room to walk.

"Let's look around a little, see what we can find. But everyone be careful."

We spread out, carefully picking our way through the dead, burning streets.

"Hey, guys!" Diego calls. "Come check this out! There's something stuck in the lava over here!"

We make our way over to join him and Grace at the edge of a lava pool near the foot of the fire escape. Something is gleaming golden in the red light.

"Is that...armor?" I dare to look a little closer. "It is! It's a cuirass!"

"Cuirass?" Craig repeats.

"Yeah. Chestplate. This one also has a backplate attached."

"I am impressed that you know that word," Aleister allows. I roll my eyes.

"As I keep telling everyone, I'm a history major. I know things about history."

"This armor looks ancient," Diego observes. "Look at the engravings. Must be from a museum or something."

"How in heaven's name is it intact?" Aleister wonders. "The lava should have melted the gold instantly."

"I don't think it's gold," Quinn answers. "I think it's amber."

The armor shimmers enticingly, drawing me in like a magnetic force. Acting on pure instinct, I squat down and reach out to touch the gleaming surface.

"Allie, don't!"

"What on earth are you doing?!" Aleister cries.

"It's...it's _cold!_ " I gasp. "It's not hot at all! Feel it!"

Diego gingerly brushes the armor with one fingertip. When it doesn't burn him, his eyes widen.

"...Okay, that's not normal."

"Sadi Carnot is rolling in his grave," Aleister mutters.

Gripping it by the cool, exposed edge, I draw the chestplate out of the lava pool. Molten rock drips off it like water off a duck's back.

"What's the engraving on the back, Alodia?" Grace asks. I trail my fingers over an intricate engraving running down the spine of the armor.

"It looks like a DNA helix...that...turns into a chain..." I swallow hard. _Andromeda._ But...how can the sign of the chained woman find me so far from La Huerta?

"There's a blue crystal at the nape of the neck," Diego observes, frowing. "What could that be for?"

There are a few more pieces of armor sticking out of the lava pool. I gingerly fish out faulds, pauldrons, spaulders, gauntlets, cuisses, tassets, and greaves. They're all cool to the touch, not retaining any heat from the lava. Zahra snorts, shaking her head.

"Man, Alodia. You've got a serious death wish for touching those things."

I open my mouth to respond. On the edges of my vision, I am suddenly aware of vague, fuzzy auras hovering around each of my friends, pulsing in unearthly colors.

"Some risks are necessary," I answer.

Even before he does it, I hear Craig laughing appreciatively. "Man, you're more of a daredevil than me!"

I can almost mouth Michelle's reprimand along with her: "Why are you saying that like it's a good thing?"

I look down at the amber armor, my fingers still lingering on the engraving. ...Was it the armor? Is that how I knew what they would say? This armor that somehow bears the sign of Andromeda, even though I was supposed to have left La Huerta behind?

"It looks about your size," Jake remarks. "Made for a tiny knight. You wanna try it on?"

With Jake and Diego's help, I fasten on the amber pieces. They feel crafted for my body, which somehow does not surprise me. Grace shakes her head in dismay.

"I do not understand how you are alive right now."

"It's...actually pretty breatheable," I remark.

Diego steps back to look me over and smiles. "Nice. Legendary armor unlocked."

"You look like an ancient hero," Quinn agrees.

"It is certainly a handsome set," Aleister concedes, "but none of this explains how it came to be sitting here!"

A sudden shriek from Grace makes us all jump. Her hand flies to her mouth, and she points with a trembling finger. I follow her gaze to an ash-covered pile of debris.

"Grace? What's wrong? It's just..." I trail off as I step closer and I realize what the pile is really made of. It's not debris. ...It's bones. "...Oh, my god..."

"Oh, man..." Zahra says softly. "That is not a good way to go."

I hear Raj retching behind me. Everyone backs away from the skeletons. Everyone except for Michelle, who pokes around the pile.

"There's gotta be a dozen of them," she murmurs.

"Those poor people," Quinn whispers, choking on a sob. "They were probably classmates. Hartfeld students just like us."

"Did they die quick and painless, at least?" Raj asks weakly, not bothering to hide his tears.

"Quick, yes," Michelle answers grimly. "Painless...no."

"...Let's leave 'em be," Sean says flatly. "And make sure we don't join 'em."

We pick our way through the streets of our college town, climbing over hills of smoldering wreckage. The world is dead silent, save for the distant, sustained rumble of the mega-volcano.

"There's the coffee shop I would always code at," Zahra observes distantly. "Everything looks pretty much the same. Except, ya know, on fire."

"How far in the future are we?" Diego wonders.

"Do you think most people evacuated in time?" Grace asks.

"Evacuated to _where_?" There is a note of helpless frustration in Estela's question. "Looks like this goes all the way to the horizon."

No one answers. There is nothing to say to that. She is terribly, horribly right. We all press a little closer together.

"This cannot be," Aleister whispers finally. "We did everything, _everything_ we were supposed to."

"Dude, look." Raj gestures ahead of us. "This was Andrews Field. Used to play Ultimate out there every weekend."

"And there's Greene Library," Grace adds. "That was like my second dorm room."

Quinn sobs softly beside me. "No..." she whimpers. "No..."

"There's gotta be a way to prevent this from happening," Michelle says. I can't tell if the conviction in her voice is real or if it's just desperation. "There just has to."

"I thought I was numb to death," Estela says ruefully. "But this? This is just..."

"I can't believe this," I whisper. I feel Jake's hand on my shoulder. I cover his hand with mine.

"Can't imagine how hard this is for you," he says softly. "To see your home like this."

"I don't even recognize it anymore..."

"Craig?" Diego calls. "You comin'?"

I look back. Craig is lingering behind, staring up at a huge billboard. I can still make out some of the text advertising season tickets...and pieces of the two men photographed side-by-side, the numbers 5 and 68 emblazoned on their jerseys. I grip Jake's hand a little tighter, feeling my dread grow.

"...Yeah," Craig says. "I'm comin'."

We move on. "...Hey, Diego," I murmur. "Remember when we saw _The Avengers_ at Movies on the Quad last year?"

He grins at me. "Barely. I drank way too much moscato that night. But I remember it was fun." His smile slips, gesturing in the direction of the quad. "It was right over there. And now it's...it's just gone..."

"It's not gone," I say softly. "We remember it."

"Hey," Estela says gently but firmly. "Come on. You're lagging behind."

"Sorry." We pick up our pace a bit. Sean suddenly stops walking. I look over and see him swallowing hard. "...Sean?"

He doesn't acknowledge me. He breaks off from the group, marching forward across the crumbling street.

"Where is he going?" Michelle asks.

"I don't know," I murmur. "I'll follow him. Make sure he's okay."

I break off and hurry after him, stepping carefully on the disintegrating street. I follow him into a half-collapsed building, up a charred staircase to a second floor apartment. I find him standing in the middle of soot-covered living room.

"Sean? What are we doing here?"

"...This is my mom's place," he whispers. "Was. Was my mom's place."

"Oh, god...Sean..." I come up beside him to wind a comforting arm around his waist. He puts an arm over my shoulders.

"After we finally managed to get away from my dad, she wanted to stay close to me. And I wanted her close. She got this apartment when I was a freshman. Closest building to Hartfeld Stadium."

He withdraws from my embrace and walks up to a cracked photo frame barely clinging to the wall. He wipes away the soot on the glass. Beneath it is a faded photo of a boy in a peewee football uniform. The smile is unmistakeably Sean's. On either side of him are his parents, proud and smiling.

"...I always hated that she kept this photo up," he mutters. "She still loved him. After everything. After everything that bastard did to us, she still loved him. At least...she loved the old him. But that man was dead."

"...Love is weird," I mumur.

Sean lifts the picture from its hook and slumps down against the wall, staring at it. He blinks, and a few tears slip down his cheeks. I come to sit down beside him.

"...I wasn't here, Alodia. I told her I'd always protect her, and I _wasn't here_..."

I put an arm around him. "It's not your fault, Sean."

"...That's all I was ever good at, you know? Taking the punishment so someone I care about doesn't have to. And for my mom, for the person that mattered most...I couldn't even do that."

"We'll fix this. That's a promise."

"You say that with such certainty. I don't know how you do it." He looks at me and laughs, ruffling my hair. "Only you could make me look at the end of the world and think, 'Yeah, this is fixable.' It seems completely nuts. But I look at you...and I believe it."

"I believe in _us._ All of us." I chuckle a little to disguise the sob that bubbles up in my chest. "I don't even really have anyone out here to be worried about. You eleven...you're the most important people in the world to me. I haven't known any of you except Diego for very long, I know. ...But you don't go through what we've gone through without forming bonds."

"Not usually," he concedes.

"...We'll fix this. I promise we'll fix it. And you know I'll keep that promise, because I'm making it for you and all our friends. And I would crawl through hell for any one of you."

"...Yeah. I believe you would. ...And every one of us would stand behind you."

I stand and offer him a hand up. "Come on then, Heisman. World needs saving." He takes my hand with a feeble smile and stands. Together, we head back down the street.

We return to the group to find them arguing amongst themselves.

"That's total conjecture!" Michelle protests. "You don't know that!"

"Since when are you the authority on what's possible on Loco Island?" Craig retorts.

"Guys, please! Let's not fight!" Grace pleads.

"Listen to Grace, you imbeciles!" Aleister snaps. "We must do whatever we can to prevent this future from happening."

"Yeah..." Raj says. "...Uh...one problem. I don't think we're in the future." He points with a trembling finger across the street to the entrance sign for Hartfeld University. In faded marquee letters, it reads: ' _2017 Summer Session begins this Monday, June 5_ _th_ _!'_

"June fifth of this year?!" Zahra whispers.

"Oh, my god...that means this eruption would've happened around the day we..." Quinn trails off, gulping.

"The day we flew to La Huerta," Michelle finishes.

"We're not in the future." Sean lays it out in front of us, his voice low and quivering. "Distant or otherwise. We're in the present."

"...The world ended six months ago," Zahra says. "...We just got the memo."

"But...how?"

I think back to the transmissions we heard at the observatory, to what Rourke said in the jungle as we marched towards Elyys'tel: _"I strongly suspect that was an echo from our planet's likely future. Right now, we are in a bubble of time, safe for the moment. But an eruption of Mount Atropo risks plunging the planet itself into a prehistoric time, when all the world was lava. Civilization would immediately be engulfed in the fire of a bygone era."_

"The storm." Jake's voice draws me back to the present. The dead, hellish present.

"You mean, all that turbulence on the way in?" Raj asks, his voice shaking. "The sudden dark clouds and the lightning?"

"Holy crap!" Diego runs his fingers through his dark hair. "That was Mount Atropo erupting. We flew straight through it into some...time bubble or something!"

"The island alone stayed safe," Estela says grimly. "While the rest of the world burned."

"Hold on!" Jake exclaims. "How does one volcano thousands of miles away do _this?_ "

"All we know is Atropo's no ordinary volcano," Grace answers. "It was a massive build-up of energy that tore space-time. Honestly, what this Earth reminds me of most...is when it was first forming. Before the crust cooled."

"You're saying that the eruption somehow sent the planet back into..."

"...The Hadean Eon," Aleister finishes.

"And everything and everyone was suddenly living on a molten rock," Sean adds.

Quinn shudders. "That's...so horrible..."

"Worst game of 'The Floor is Lava' ever," Diego declares without a hint of mirth.

Sean's head drops, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Okay then. There's no one left. There's nothing we can do here."

Raj looks sharply at him, eyes going wide. "Aw, don't say it," he moans. "Don't say it, dude-"

But Sean says it. "We have to go back."

Raj shakes his head wildly. Throwing up his hands, he stalks away, muttering to himself. "This can't be happening! It can't be happening! It's a nightmare! I can't deal with this! I can't!"

"Guys, I think we finally broke Raj," Zahra deadpans.

I cautiously approach Raj, who is gripping fistfuls of his hair, tears streaming down his cheeks. I keep my steps gentle, as if he were a particularly skittish horse. As soon as I'm close enough, I leap at him, throwing my arms around his neck. He stops pacing, stunned. I hang there, my feet not even touching the ground, dwarfed as I am by him, feeling him tremble in my embrace.

"We're here, Raj. We're here with you," I murmur.

He lets out a shuddering breath and finally grips me back. "...Okay. I'm okay. I'm good now. Thanks, Alodia." He snuggles me against him, and my breath comes out in an inelegant honk. "You're a good hugger, by the way."

"You too, big guy." Hearing the strain in my voice, he sets me down and ruffles my hair.

"Good hugger, but teeny tiny."

Together, we head back towards the dorms. Just shy of the fire escape we climbed down, Diego stops and squints.

"What's up?"

"So, this might sound weird, but...does the horizon look...closer?"

We all stop and look out, following Diego's gaze.

"...That ain't right," Jake says lowly.

"That's not the horizon," Zahra exclaims. "That's a tsunami!"

"You know what? Hot take here, but a giant wave of water sounds pretty refreshing right now. I think the whole planet could use some-"

"It's a tsunami of lava, Craig!"

"Oh! Okay, yeah, that's bad."

"Run!" Estela cries. "Up to the roof! Go!"

We scramble up the fire escape as the molten tsunami oozes toward us from a mile away, its progress slow but unrelenting.

"The Gate!" Quinn cries. "It's gone!"

"How the hell do we get it back open?!" Zahra shrieks.

I turn and see the wave of lava cresting, a churning wall of molten rock consuming everything in its path.

"Varyyn!" Diego cries. "He must've taken the Island's Heart out of the machine to get back to Elyys'tel!"

"So we're totally screwed then!" Michelle moans. "Great!"

"No!" I snap. "We're not! Not yet! Everyone shut up for a second!"

I close my eyes, desperately searching for Varyyn's presence in my consciousness. _Varyyn!_ I call silently. _Can you hear me?_

I open my eyes and find myself back at MASADA, seeing through the elyyshar's eyes. He presses himself against a wall, concealing himself from patroling Arachnid soldiers. He checks the Heart in his satchel, secure among the eleven idols. He watches a patrol pass by and prepares to make his move forward. Suddenly, he freezes. He senses my presence, though he can't yet quite identify me. I wrap mental fingers around his presence, reaching back into my own body at Hartfeld and opening my eyes.

"I can reach him...I think..." I say, my voice strained with the mental effort. Diego clasps my hands and looks into my eyes.

"Help me, Varyyn," he says, squeezing my hands. He can't seem to resist adding, "You're my only hope."

I feel my consciousness pulled back into Varyyn's body. ...He hears Diego's call. Not in words, but the message gets through. Through our psychic link, through Diego, who is the link between our hearts.

"...Diego," Varyyn whispers. "He's in danger..."

He whips around to go back the way he came, only to run straight into two Arachnid mercenaries. They raise their weapons.

"Freeze!"

Varyyn's hand shoots forward and clasps the nearest guard's throat in his powerful grip. With a low growl, he lifts the guard clean off the floor and slams him like a doll into the other guard. They both crumple and lie still. Varyyn sprints back to Theoretical Prismatics, not looking back. I hear the desperate prayer echoing in his mind. _Diego...please be all right...please be safe..._

He digs the Heart out of the satchel and places it delicately between the electrodes. Nothing happens.

"...No..." he whispers. "No!"

The wave of lava is surging ever closer. It will be on top of us in five minutes at most. Diego shrinks, staring at it. "Oh, holy mother of..."

"Something's wrong with the Gate!" I cry. "The Heart's in, but it's not turning on!"

"I...I think I can help," Quinn says softly. "Maybe. I don't know what I can do from so far away, but I'll try..."

She closes her eyes, focusing. Scraps of debris start to swirl around her, lifting into the air.

"Here we go again," Craig murmurs.

Quinn opens her eyes. They burn unearthly green, but her expression is grim. "No...I don't sense it..." Then she gasps. "Wait... _There!"_

I feel Varyyn desperately tapping keys on the command panel. Suddenly, he leaps back as the Heart begins to radiate a blinding light. The sphere splinters open, revealing the portal within.

"It's open!" Michelle cries.

I dare to detatch from Varyyn, teetering a little with the strain as a sphere of purple light materializes on the rooftop. The lava tsunami's shadow darkens the sky, towering over us.

"Go!" I scream. Everyone runs for the portal, leaping through one by one. Behind me, Grace stumbles, falling hard to the deck. An eroded crossbeam falls across her ankle, pinning her down.

"Grace!" Aleister cries

"Go!" Sean orders. "I've got her!"

He runs back and heaves the crossbeam off of Grace. Lifting her easily into his arms, he runs back to the portal, diving through. Diego grabs my hand.

"Allie, come on!" He pulls me through the portal just as the wave descends onto the rooftop. It leaves a blast of heat in its wake that follows me into the portal. The world flashes white, and suddenly I faceplant into cold, rusted steel. For a moment, I lay flat against it, relief flooding through me at the blessed coolness. I'm not the only one.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Craig cries. I'm not sure who he's thanking, but he's kissing the floor.

"...Considering how many pairs of feet have probably walked across this floor, that's a little disgusting," I say wryly.

"Totally don't care!" he retorts.

I slowly push myself upright, counting my friends off as I see them. Craig, Zahra, Jake, Sean, Estela, Raj, Michelle...Aleister is cradling Grace...

"Quinn? Are you-"

"I'm okay," she assures me. "And I'm me."

Diego picks himself up and runs into Varyyn's waiting arms. Varyyn holds Diego tightly, kissing his hair.

"You are all right," he whispers, a quiver in his voice. "I-I came as quickly as I could..."

"Did ya miss me?" Diego quips.

Varyyn pulls back just a little, cupping Diego's cheek and searching his face. "Why did you come back? What did you see?"

Together, haltingly, we fill Varyyn in on the details. He frowns deeply. "...This does not make sense. Perhaps Uqzhaal will have answers. We must return to Elyys'tel."

"The gondola," Quinn says. "We can get out that way, if we hurry. Security's still scrambled, right? Maybe we can get across before they realize what's happening."

"Agreed. That's the plan, then. Find our way back to the gondola, get back to Elyys'tel and regroup-"

"No. No, enough!"

Everyone falls silent, looking over at Aleister where he sits cradling Grace on his lap. For the first time, I realize that there is smoke rising from her singed hair. Her face is flushed, her breathing shallow.

"Aleister..."

"Enough plans! Enough adventures! Enough!"

Jake comes to put a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Malfoy, just-" Aleister swats his hand away sharply.

"No!" he snarls. "We almost lost Grace! Do you fail to realize that?! She almost died just now! And we all could have joined her! Why? We are fighting against something we cannot possibly understand, and we will all die!"

"...We'll be all right, bro," Craig says gently.

"Aleister, I promise you. I won't let anything happen-"

Aleister wheels on Sean. "Ah, of course! And you've _never_ failed to keep a promise, is that right, Sean?" Sean recoils as if stung.

"Hey!" I bark. "That was totally uncalled for!"

Aleister turns his wrath on me. "Don't you understand?! He can't promise that! No one can promise anything anymore! The world is gone! The future is gone! We've lost! It's over! It's all over!"

I meet his furious gaze with my own, but around me, everyone is silent, looking uncomfortably at the floor.

"...What are you thinking, Allie?" Diego asks softly.

"All I know is that I'm not quitting," I say fiercely. "As long as any of us are alive, I'll give my last breath to keep it that way, if that's what it takes."

"I couldn't imagine anything less from you," Sean says with a weak smile.

"You're a damned fool, Alodia Chandler," Aleister declares flatly. Grace's moans a little, her eyes fluttering. She still looks flushed, but she has managed to catch her breath. She focuses on Aleister above her.

"Aleister..." she croaks. "I know it looks bad...unfathomably bad...But there's always hope. There has to be."

Aleister's lips quiver. "I wish I could believe that..."

"Okay, so are we making a run for the gondola or not?" Zahra asks. "Clock's ticking."

"It always is," Aleister mutters. But he helps Grace to her feet. "...Let's go, then."

Varyyn returns my backpack to me, still containing the Heart and the idols. I slip it on, but after a moment, I pass the Heart back to him.

"Hang onto this. It belongs to your people."

He regards me thoughtfully for a moment, and then nods, slipping the Heart into his own satchel. We make our move, carefully avoiding the patrols as we scurry through the corridors of the MASADA complex. To my relief, the Andromeda armor doesn't seem to make a lot of noise. Almost none, in fact. If I were less distracted, I might wonder about that. But right now, all we can focus on is getting out.

"I think we're almost there," Zahra whispers as we near the entrance. Beside me, Quinn walks with a stoic expression on her face.

"Quinn? You holding up okay?"

"Hmm? Oh...I think so."

"You saved us back there. Somehow you were able to connect with the Island's Heart, even from thousands of miles away. So...thank you. I know it's scary to let that...that thing take over."

"Not as scary as losing you guys. ...I know this is serious. Each time I do it, I feel it lingering more and more. But in a way, I'm used to it. I'm used to knowing something in my body will eventually destroy me."

"The same goes for all of us," I say softly, taking her hand and squeezing it. "All of us are temporary. Every last one of us is a physical thing that weathers away...killed by the very thing we were trying to keep alive. It's unfair that you're facing this so young. But I don't want you to feel like you're alone in this. Because you're not."

"I guess you're right. This is a part of life. And my time is now." She sighs. "So nothing's changed from before I came here. If my own body is still going to erase me, then I'm going to do all the good I can with the time I have."

"Good for you. And in the meantime, you have a damned fool like me who's going to fight tooth and nail to keep you all alive for as long as humanly possible."

She manages to crack a smile. A clattering from up above catches our attention. Aleister has tripped over a pristine white trash can, spilling its contents to the floor.

"Are you trying to attract attention?!" Estela hisses.

"Oh, gross!" Raj exclaims. "Get away from that, yo! That bin says 'Biohazard Disposal' on it! That means poop! Or blood! Or blood poop!"

"Nasty, dude," Craig says with a shudder. "Please don't use those words together."

Aleister and the others continue walking, but I pause by the overturned bin. I don't see anything gross in there. Just some crumpled paper and...

"Oh, shit!" I hiss.

Lying among the discarded balls of paper is a small amber statue of a man in priestly robes, bearing the head of a cobra. This is it...the final idol...

"A catalyst idol!" Quinn gasps. "Are you gonna take it?"

I delicately pick up the idol with two fingers and lift it out of the garbage pile. I close my eyes, bracing myself for visions. But nothing happens.

"...Are you okay, Alodia?" Quinn asks. "You're making a funny face."

I open my eyes. ...Right. Aleister and I both need to be touching the idol to invite the visions. I glance at Aleister, walking ahead with the rest of the group.

"...Yeah. I'm fine. Just...distracted."

"Come on. Let's catch up with the others." I slip the idol into my bag with the others and follow Quinn down the hall.

"What was something so important doing in a trash bin of all places?" Quinn muses. "And why a biohazard one?"

"Maybe someone was trying to hide it?" I suggest. "Rourke was so keen on getting these. I can't believe he'd just throw one out."

Up ahead, Jake reaches a closed automatic doorway and hits the touch panel. It beeps and flashes.

"Access denied. Crap. Looks like we hit a dead end."

"Let me try," Aleister says softly. "I was able to activate my father's computer at The Celestial..." He presses his hand to the panel. It flashes green and the door slides open.

"Nicely done! I knew you'd come in handy." Jake pauses for a reaction, but Aleister just stares at him. "...I'll stop."

"Puns aren't really your strong suit, Top Gun," I quip. "Stick with giving out silly nicknames."

He rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically. "Your wish is my command, Princess."

We continue through the winding halls of MASADA. Presently, a set of video monitors along the wall flickers to life. On every screen, Everett Rourke smiles serenely.

"Hello, Aleister."

"Dammit," Estela hisses. "He's onto us."

"I received an alert that my DNA signature was being used to access restricted areas," Rourke explains. "Finding this curious, as you are to be in custody, I reviewed my security systems, only to find a very subtle worm manipulating its data. No doubt the work of Zahra Namazi. My dear guests, you are every bit as resourceful as I could have hoped."

"Ignore him," I murmur. "Keep moving."

We pick up the pace, threading faster through the halls. But around every bend is another monitor showing Rourke's unnatural grin.

"Oh, Junior, how your recent cleverness makes me regret all the time we spent apart. Perhaps you would've been a worthy successor after all."

"Does this guy ever shut up?" Michelle growls. I see Aleister slowing down slightly.

"He's messing with you, Aleister," I remind him.

"Sure, tell him he's his father's puppet," Estela mutters. "That'll help."

"No, Alodia is right," Aleister says flatly. "My father manipulates everyone around him."

"Aleister, look!" Grace exclaims.

Straight ahead is another hallway connecting two wards of the complex, with sealed hatches at each end.

"The security station is here. I'll try to override using my father's ID."

"I must admit I was wrong about you," Rourke continues on the monitor. "The way you've handled yourself. The way you've defied overwhelming odds. After all this time, you've come into your own. You remind me...of myself."

"The cretin thinks I'll fall for this," Aleister growls through clenched teeth. He taps through several screens, then presses his hand down. The first door slides open, and we run inside.

"We're in! Just one more hatch and we're through, Aleister!"

"On it."

"I handled this all wrong," Rourke confesses on the screen. "I discarded you, and now you will be my undoing. But that is not what breaks my heart. What breaks my heart is knowing how this will end. Knowing that I drove you to this. Knowing that I drove you to get your friends killed."

Aleister hesitates a moment. "...What...?"

"You're more like me than either of us ever wished to admit. Too stubborn to admit when we're in over our heads. All I can do is think about what we could have accomplished together. Together, we could have restored the world. We could have undone the harm of the terrible eruption. How we could have built a paradise for us...for your friends...For Grace..." Aleister freezes. "We could have even saved your mother. And now, because of what I've done to drive you away...my son, you're going to erase the only chance we had at bringing her back."

I watch Aleister's expression settle into a cold, emotionless mask and I feel my blood run cold.

"Wait!" I scream. "Aleister! Don't!"

He meets my eyes for just an instant. "...I'm sorry."

His hand moves. I rush towards him. The first hatch slams shut in front of me, trapping us all inside. I throw myself against the door, pounding it with my fists. "No! Aleister!"

"What the hell?!"

"He locked us in!"

"Aleister!" Grace cries pleadingly. "What are you doing?! Let us through!"

Aleister steps up to the small porthole in the hatch. His voice is only slightly muffled through it. "This is for your own good. I know you'll see that one day."

"You slimy son-of-a-bitch!" Jake roars. "You've got five seconds to rethink this!"

"Open the hatch!" Estela snarls. "Now!"

Grace steps up to the glass, just inches from Aleister. "How could you...?"

"Don't you understand? My father's right. He's always been right." He shakes his head mournfully. "If we keep running, we'll all be killed. We'll be as dead as those skeletons back in Hartfeld. Jake? Sean? Estela? They can't protect you. Not from this. So if they won't keep you from getting killed, Grace...I will."

"By selling us out to your father?!" she cries, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"He's a genius. He built this facility. Built that Gate. If there's anyone who can fix this...anyone who can protect us...it's him."

"Dude, he's evil!" Diego protests.

"You don't think I know that? But right now, he's our only chance. You'll thank me one day. You'll _live_ to thank me. That's what counts."

The doors behind Aleister open, and several Arachnid troops surge through. I slump against the wall, barely keeping upright for the despair flooding through me.

"...You're wrong, Aleister," I growl. "You're so, so goddamn wrong."

"I'm not stupid, Alodia. I don't expect you to understand this yet. You will."

"Oh, but you are stupid, Aleister," Estela says flatly. "You just signed your death warrant."

"Stay back!" an Arachnid soldier barks.

Aleister turns away, letting the troops close in. When they have us covered from every angle, they open the hatch.

"Out! Slowly! Hands in the air!"

We raise our hands, cautiously stepping out into the control room. A dozen submachine guns are aimed point-blank at us.

"Any great ideas about now, Cap?" Jake murmurs to Sean.

"I've got nothin'," Sean admits.

The soldiers part to allow Rourke through, followed by Lundgren and Lila. Rourke smirks at us.

"I must say, I'm getting quite the sense of deja vu at the moment," he drawls. "Then again, we all know how this place plays tricks with time."

"That's the last time you make me chase you, Wolf," Lundgren growls, pinning Jake with a hateful gaze.

"Gettin' tired?" Jake spits. "I could do this all day, you mechanized sack of-"

Rourke holds up a hand. He looks over at me, Zahra, Sean, and Craig. "So. You four entered disguised. Quite brilliant. Was this your plan, Alodia?"

"We're a team," I answer flatly.

"How delightfully humble. Now then..." He steps up to Varyyn, who is barely being restrained by three soldiers. Ignoring the struggle, he reaches into the satchel at Varyyn's waist and withdraws the Island's Heart.

"No!" Varyyn snarls as Rourke turns the shimmering orb over in his hands, marveling at it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Lila?"

"Yes, Mr. Rourke. It is."

"So much energy in such a small thing. It seems I've never been more wrong in my life."

"You talking about the day you picked out that suit?" Jake sneers.

Rourke ignores him. "For years, I believed that the eleven of you would lead me to the Endless. That you were the key to unlocking its secrets. But all this time, your destiny was to lead me to _this_."

"Father? I don't understand."

"I no longer have use for the Endless. I no longer have use for any of you. I must thank you, frankly."

"So you'll keep them safe?" Aleister asks anxiously. "As you said. You will not harm them?"

Rourke raises an eyebrow at his son. "Are you kidding? Of course I won't harm them. I've no reason to."

"Tell that to your rabid dog," Estela growls.

"Easy, pipsqueak," Lundgren snaps.

"I'm talking about _her,_ dumbass!" Lila shrinks under Estela's furious gaze.

"I've no reason to harm them at all," Rourke repeats. "Provided they don't give me one."

Aleister looks from his father to me, stepping close to me. "Well?" There is a plea in his eyes and his voice. "Will you let me keep you safe? Will you surrender peaceably?"

I look around at my friends, one by one. I see Varyyn straining to reach the Island's Heart, Lundgren looking at Jake like he's a meal. I see Estela glaring at Lila, and the vision of the Draco idol flashes in my mind, her helpless rage as Rourke pressed the barrel of his pistol to her forehead. I feel my heart sinking. More of the terrifying visions granted by the idols flash through my mind. So many of them seem destined to die at MASADA. Craig, killed by Tetra covering our escape. Diego, gunned down by Iris trying to free Varyyn. Jake and I seem to spend five years imprisoned here, he in a cell and me in a stasis pod, both of us powerless to save anyone. Zahra will free Jake in time, but she'll be murdered by Rourke in the end. And Jake will free me, only to be gunned down in front of me.

...Will I even be burying bodies in that cave? Will my friends keep burying each other until I can complete the task, the last one left alive?

Eleven graves. Only one left alive. Alone. ...And it all begins with Aleister. I feel rage bubble up in me, and I glare up at Aleister. I gave him my trust. I gave him my care and my friendship. And he spat on it. I spit back, directly into his face. He flinches, wiping away the glob.

"Boom!" Craig snickers. "Got 'im!"

"My turn next!" Zahra declares.

Aleister sighs. "Making this easy on yourselves, I see."

I lock my gaze with his. "Did you expect anything else from me?"

He regards me angrily, but I can see the desperation behind his eyes. "...You're a damned fool, Alodia Chandler."

"Well, well," Rourke murmurs. "Perhaps they are still a problem."

Aleister wheels to face his father. "No! They're not! They can't do anything! Just lock them up until this is over!" His hands ball into fists. "Father, please..."

Rourke regards his son for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Very well," he says at last. "We shall imprison you in moderate comfort until the conclusion of this...experiment."

"We had a deal, Rourke," Lundgren growls.

"And I will keep my bargain, as I said, at the conclusion."

"Better hope you do."

Jake laughs bitterly. "Look at you taking orders, Lundgren. I see a spot on Rourke's shoes that could use a licking."

"Your time's comin', Wolf," Lundgren sneers. "Sooner than ya think." He turns on his heel and marches out.

"Relieve them of their belongings, then take them below," Rourke orders.

Aleister grabs for my bag, but I hold fast to it, pulling sharply back on it. The snake-headed idol, sitting on top, tumbles out, clinking on the floor. We both reach for it at once, and our fingers brush it at the same time. MASADA dissolves around me before I have a moment to prepare.

 _I'm in an unfamiliar auditorium. Men and women in expensive business attire fill the seats, regarding the speaker with serious expressions. On the stage, pacing back and forth in the frame of a bold white spotlight is Everett Rourke._

 _"...Which brings us to my final point," he is saying. "That, in the end, for all our technology, for all our progress, we are still collectively bound to the same wheel as our ancestors were, ten thousand years ago. We are born. We age. Sometimes, we breed. And then, we die. For all our acheivements, all our victories and defeats, all our moments of joy and sorrow, we end up nothing but dust. We have shattered the atom, set foot on the moon, built networks that instantly connect the whole world. And yet, we are still slaves to time. This, then, is the true final frontier. Not space. Not life. But time. And Rourke International, as always, will lead the way."_

 _The audience bursts into applause. But Aleister, seated in the audience, keeps his arms crossed, his expression skeptical._

 _The conference ends and Rourke makes his way off the stage as the audience begins to disperse. He shakes hands with a few colleagues, but as he steps out back, Aleister is ready to meet him._

 _"Father."_

 _Rourke raises an eyebrow. "Aleister. This is an unexpected surprise. What are you doing at RourkeCon?"_

 _"I was in town for an interview, and I thought I would stop by. ...Had to buy my own ticket, of course."_

 _"Invitations are for Rourke Employees." Rourke makes a show of looking over the front of Aleister's shirt. "...And I don't see your badge."_

 _"You know damn well I don't work for you," Aleister snaps._

 _Rourke shrugs. "I only hire the very best."_

 _"And I..." Aleister trails off, taking a deep breath to collect himself. "...I thought you should know. I've been accepted into a Master's program. It's at the Hoffman-Conahan School for Business. The most prestigious business program in the country. They've offered me a full scholarship."_

 _"Hm. Is that all?"_

 _Aleister visibly deflates. "Well, I...I just thought you should..."_

 _"By the time I was your age, I'd built a prototype jetpack with my bare hands. I'd climbed Kilimanjaro. I'd made myself a millionaire. And you expect me to...what? Pat you on the back because my name got you into some fancy little grad program?"_

 _"It wasn't your name!" Aleister protests. "I did it! I earned it!"_

 _"Tell yourself whatever you want, son. Come to me when you've actually done something worth praising. Now, if you'll excuse me, I do believe I have a jet to catch."_

 _Rourke does not wait to be excused before turning on his heel and striding away from his fuming son. Aleister grits his teeth, curling his hands into fists._

 _"I'll prove you wrong, you bastard," he growls under his breath. "I'll make it all on my own. ...I don't need you." …_

 _… The auditorium washes away and I find myself in the master bedroom of the Elysian Resort. Aleister sits alone on the bed, gazing out the window at the snow-covered mountains. Shadows underneath his haunted eyes stand out starkly against his pale skin._

 _"Well, well," he murmurs. "So it's come to this."_

 _There's a knock at the door. Aleister rises, steadying himself with the help of a polished wooden cane, and turns toward the door._

 _"Come in."_

 _An Arachnid soldier enters, holding a report. "Sir."_

 _"Well?" Aleister asks impatiently. "Don't dilly-dally. How bad is it?"_

 _"Namazi's Killswitch virus has decimated our operation, sir. MASADA, the Observatory, the Daedalus station...they're all gone. Our force is down to less than a dozen men. We're on the ropes."_

 _"...The Celestial?"_

 _"Still ours. But the Hostiles are on the march. They'll retake it by sunrise."_

 _"And...my father?"_

 _"I'm sorry, sir. He's dead. Namazi shot him."_

 _"I see...So what did you add up to, old man? What did you end up in the end? Nothing but dust." He turns to the window and stares out at the snowy landscape, and the towering columns of smoke reaching up from all over the island. "...Gaze upon my works, ye mighty, and despair. ...But enough self-pity. Time to work."_

 _He turns back towards the door, but the soldier isn't there anymore. He's lying on the floor with a knife in his back. I realize that I am looking straight at Aleister now. I look down and see the soldier lying at my feet. There is blood on my hands. On my clothes. I look back up at Aleister._

 _"You. Traitor." My voice is somewhere between a hiss and a snarl._

 _"Alodia!" Aleister staggers back, pressing against the glass. "H...how are you...you're supposed to be..."_

 _I pace towards him, trembling hands clenched into fists. Furious tears clog my throat, making my voice into something inhuman."You lied to us, you bastard. You sold us out. To Rourke! And for what? A seat at his table? A pat on the back?"_

 _"I did what I had to do. I don't regret it."_

 _With a wild cry, I charge across the room, cornering him against the glass, pinning him with a forearm against his throat._

 _"They're all dead, you son-of-a-bitch!" I scream. "Everyone I love in the world, and they're all gone! Because of your father! Because of you!"_

 _"You can't blame me for every single thing that went wrong on this island!" he protests._

 _"I can blame your father! And instead of standing up to him, you took his side. You chose him over us." I name my losses out loud, punctuating each name by slamming him against the glass, which starts to crack with the force of my fury. "Over Raj! And Michelle! Over Zahra! And Craig! And Diego! Over Jake! And Estela! And Sean! And Quinn! Over Grace!"_

 _Each blow makes Aleister grunt through clenched teeth, but at the last name, his eyes soften, filling with tears. He takes a deep breath. "...Whatever you're going to do, Alodia, do it. Otherwise, you're just wasting time. And time is all we have."_

 _"...In another life, Aleister, I think you could've been a good person," I say softly. "...But not this one."_

 _I shove him hard with both hands. He falls backwards, the window shattering behind him. He screams as he plummets, only silencing when he finally smashes into cold, hard earth below..._

… Back in MASADA, Aleister tears the idol from my grip and stuffs it back into my bag.

"Stop," he says firmly. "It's over, Alodia."

I meet his eyes, glaring at him. All I can see is the shocked look on his face as he fell, dead by my hand.

"...Not yet it's not." For a moment, I could swear he looks afraid of me. Then he joins the guards in piling our things in the corner. Rourke smiles approvingly.

"Good work, my boy. Meet me in my office."

"Wait! I...I don't want Grace to be imprisoned." Aleister moves towards Grace, holding his arms out to her. "I'll make sure you're treated well and-"

The crack of her palm against his cheek rings out like a gunshot. Aleister recoils, clutching the stinging red mark on the side of his face.

"Don't you speak to me ever again!" she screams, tears streaming from her eyes.

Aleister regards her for a moment, without anger or surprise. He simply nods. As he goes, he pauses. "...I still want her kept in her own residence. Not a cell."

"Very well," Rourke agrees. He snaps his fingers at a mercenary, who grabs a weeping Grace and drags her off after Aleister. The rest of us are left alone with Rourke, Lila, and enough Arachnid troops to keep us all restrained. They grab us by the arms, holding us still.

"So are we back to the Ghostbusters part now?" Diego asks.

"You mean the containment pods?" Rourke asks. "Oh, no, no, no. That's no longer necessary. Lila?"

Lila steps forward. "Yes, Mr. Rourke?"

Rourke smirks at us, and turns his gaze to Lila. "Kill them all."


	15. Self-Destruct

"Wait, _what?!_ "

"You can't!" Quinn cries.

"Mr. Rourke, I don't understand," Lila protests. "You promised Aleister that-"

"That I would not harm them," Rourke confirms. "And I won't. _I_ don't harm anybody, Lila. That's why I have you. That's why I've always had you."

"Aleister will find out what you did," Estela growls.

"I'll make sure he never knows," Rourke replies mildly. "Maybe my men had no choice but to gun you down as you tried to escape. Or maybe I'll tell him the truth. Either way, since it's done, what choice will he have but to obey me?"

"But...sir, these kids...I mean, they're..." Lila stares at Rourke, stunned. It's as if she's seeing him for the first time. "...Is this who we are, sir?"

"Who I am is a man who gave you an order, Lila," Rourke snaps. "Are you going to follow it or not?"

Lila swallows hard. "...Yes, Mr. Rourke."

Satisfied, Rourke marches out, the door closing behind him.

"Oh, hell no!" Michelle cries. "I am not dying like this!"

"This is bad," Raj mutters, shaking his head. "Real bad!"

I cry out in fury and terror, struggling wildly against the Arachnid who holds me fast. "Attack!" I shout. "They can't stop us if we all attack at once!"

"Yes, they can, Allie!" Diego cries. "They have guns!"

"Who cares?" Jake growls, following my lead. "I ain't going down without a fight!"

"Just leave the snake to me!" Estela adds.

They both struggle, but none of us can wrench ourselves free.

"Lila!" I cry desperately. "Wait-" I still abruptly when I feel the barrel of a gun push against my neck.

"Allie!" Diego whimpers. "Oh, god, please don't hurt her!"

"Stop!" Lila says firmly, looking at the soldier who holds me. She pulls a pistol from the back of her waistband. "You heard Mr. Rourke. I'll do it myself. Put them on their knees."

She turns her gaze on Estela, the nearest one to her. The soldiers drag her forward. Even with three of them, it still takes one of them delivering a sharp kick to her popliteal to get her on her knees. Lila presses the barrel of her pistol to Estela's forehead. Every cell, every nerve in my body screams in protest. My heart spasms in my throat.

"Estela!" I shriek, pulling against my captor's grip. "No, please! Estela!"

"Stop!" Quinn cries. "Leave her alone!"

Estela locks Lila's eyes with hers, her breath shallow with fury, hissing between gritted teeth. "Go ahead," she snarls. "Do it! Do it like you did my mother!"

Lila swallows. She thumbs off the safety. I feel my knees go weak with despair. I slump in my captor's grip, tears burning in my eyes.

"Lila, please...please don't..."

"You think I don't know who you are, Lila?" Estela growls. " _What_ you are? You talk like you've got beliefs, like you want to make a better world. But that's all talk. Because in the end, you're nothing but a killer."

Lila's hand trembles. She almost looks like she might be straining under the weight of Estela's furious words. One of the Arachnid mercenaries steps up.

"Enough messin' around!" she snaps. "If you aren't gonna start shooting-"

Abruptly, Lila raises her gun and shoots the mercenary in the head. Before anyone can react, she shoots another. In an instant, all hell breaks loose as the mercenaries turn their weapons on Lila. She spins, firing again and again with deadly precision. The mercenaries panic, releasing my friends in their haste to reach their weapons and defend themselves. The one who had been holding Diego lets off a frantic round, his aim wild.

"Diego! Look out!"

I dive for my friend, pulling him to the floor and shielding him with my body. I feel the impact of a bullet on the armor near my thigh. It stings sharply enough to make me yelp and Diego cries out in alarm.

"Allie!" He struggles out from under me, looking me over frantically.

"I'm okay," I assure him quickly, wincing. "The armor's dented, but it held. Probably gonna have a pretty good bruise there, though."

Diego releases a shuddering breath and pulls me into a hug. "Goddammit, Allie! You just saved my life, you madwoman! You almost took a bullet for me!"

"Of course I did, you dummy!" I clutch him

"That was damn brave, Princess," Jake says from beside me. "But maybe in the future you could spare me the near-heart attack and try not to get yourself killed. Can you stand?"

"I'm fine, I promise." I get to my feet. The spot on my thigh throbs a bit, but it's nothing unbearable.

Lila double-taps the last of the fallen Arachnid mercenaries, and lets her pistol fall to her side. Her face is pale. Sweat glows on her skin. "...There. All done."

I stare at her. "Lila...you...you saved us."

"You saved _me?_ " Estela says like she still isn't positive it really happened.

Lila smiles weakly. "What kinda tour guide would I be if I didn't?" Her smile slips. "You were right, Estela. I am nothing but a killer. But...at least I can kill the right people for on-" She cuts herself off suddenly, doubling over in pain and stumbling backwards. She slumps against the wall, her pistol clattering to the floor.

"Lila!" Diego hurries to her side, easing her gently to the ground. A flower of blood blooms over her abdomen, spreading quickly and staining her yellow polo. "Michelle, I think she's been shot!"

Michelle rushes over to assess the damage. Her expression is grim. "It's bad. Really bad."

Estela shoulders Diego aside and snatches up Lila's gun, aiming it at her head. She trembles, breathing fast and shallow.

"This changes nothing!" she snarls. "Nothing! You killed my mom! She was your friend and you killed her!" Lila's eyes flutter. She looks up at Estela weakly.

"I...believed in Rourke...I thought he'd fix everything...But...he...lied to me. I killed...my best friend. Killed...so many people..." Her face contorts as her breath comes out in a series of ragged sobs. "...Do it, Estela...Take your revenge. I...deserve it..."

"Yes! You do!" But Estela's hand is quivering, her face a tear-stained mess twisted with rage, hatred, and helpless agony.

"Go on..." Lila gasps. "It's...your last...chance..."

Estela's finger quivers against the trigger. Suddenly, she looks more like a frightened little girl than the warrior I've always known.

"Estela!" I say sharply. "Don't let this be all you are!"

"I've dreamt of this moment for six years, Alodia!" She says in a voice shrill with wild emotion. "Six years!"

"You're so much more than this! Your mom wanted you to be more than this! You're more than revenge, Estela. You're more than a killer."

Estela closes her eyes, her finger tightening on the trigger. Then, she lets her hand fall to her side. She doesn't open her eyes right away.

"...You're dead anyway, Lila. Justice came for you on its own."

"I'm...so...sorry...Estela..."

We all start at the sound of footsteps on the level above us, unmistakeably heading in our direction.

"We're about have company," Sean says grimly. "We gotta move."

"Wait...The gun...give me...the gun..." Lila gasps. Laboriously, pulls herself upright and turns to face the door where the footsteps are approaching. "I'll...hold them off...Buy you...some time..."

Uneasy glances pass between us. Then Estela hunkers down over Lila and puts the gun in her hand. Lila raises her eyes to meet Estela's.

"I came to this island...looking for something to...live for. But...all I really wanted...was something worth...dying for."

She steadies herself against the wall, pistol ready.

"Come on," Zahra says grimly. "We can still get to the gondola by another way. Follow me."

We grab our bags from the corner and follow Zahra, each of us taking one last look at Lila. Before I leave, she turns to smile over her shoulder at me.

"Hope you all...enjoyed...your time here..."

We turn and run. We make it down a few corridors before we hear gunshots ring out behind us. Several pops, the death grunts of the mercenaries, then a clattering BRRRAAATT before it all goes deathly silent. We all pause. A spontaneous moment of silence for Lila. Then we keep moving, hurrying down the halls.

We creep quietly through the complex, checking around corners for guards. We're moving through an empty office when Raj suddenly trips on a nest of wires. He tumbles to the floor, and his bag pops open, spilling cooking utensils, food, and a small steel device. I bend down to pick it up.

"Raj? What's this?"

Craig comes to examine it. "Dude. Looks like some kinda phone!"

"Right? I found it down in that Theoretical Prismatics lab. Thought it looked pretty dope."

"Doesn't look like any phone I've ever seen," Quinn remarks.

Estela, looking over my shoulder, taps a button on the side. A compartment in the device flips open, revealing a small vial of fluid.

"This looks like the same fluid that Rourke was creating from the island's crystals," she observes

"My guess is it's a prototype transponder that can send messages through space-time," Zahra remarks. I gape at her.

"Are you saying it's...a time phone?"

"I knew it looked important!" Raj says triumphantly.

"It's not a phone," Estela says flatly. "It's only one-way."

"...Do you think we could use it to send messages back home?" Quinn asks.

"Like, maybe warn ourselves not to come on this trip?" Michelle asks. "Or warn the government about what was going on here?"

"More like warn Rourke's parents not to have sex," Craig mutters.

Zahra rolls her eyes. "Great idea. Create a massive temporal paradox. That will definitely end well."

Jake sighs. "Well, if we can't send a warning back..."

"It's totally useless then, huh?" Diego finishes regretfully.

"Not necessarily. There is one thing we could use it for." Sean looks around at us. "...We could use it to say goodbye."

"You mean...to our loved ones?" Quinn asks softly.

"We could send it to right after we left. No paradox. ...I dunno about you guys, but I never really said goodbye. We didn't know it'd be the last time we saw them."

"There are so many things I wish I'd said," Quinn admits.

"Yeah..." Craig agrees.

I look from the device in my hands to my friends' mournful faces. I feel my heart breaking for them. I nod.

"...If we aren't able to fix this, if we aren't able to stop the eruption...then this might be the last chance we have to say the things we always wanted to say."

"Give it here, Alodia." I pass the device to Zahra, who takes it and types into the keypad. "Okay. Date selected. Who's up first?"

Everyone hesitates. Finally, Diego steps up and takes it, entering a number. With a deep breath, he raises it to his face, speaking into the grille at one end.

"Mom...Dad...it's Diego. ...I know it's been a long time since we talked. And I know you aren't happy to hear from me, either. For the longest time, I wanted you to accept me. To feel like I belonged in my own home. And I hated you because I never got that." Diego looks up and meets my eyes. "...But I finally feel accepted. I belong. And most of all, I...I forgive you."

Diego blinks back tears as he hands off the device to Raj. Varyyn takes him in a comforting embrace, rocking him gently.

"Hey, Grandma! It's me, Raj!" Raj tries to sound cheerful, but I can see him tearing up. "I've been making all your best recipes for my friends, and they really love them all. ...I guess I just wanna say...every time I make them, I'll be thinking of you. I'm never gonna forget you."

Sean steps up next. "Hey, Mom. ...Some bad stuff's gonna happen soon. And I'm not gonna be there with you for it. I wish I could be. But I need you to know one thing and never forget it. Ain't nothing in this world or the next that's gonna stop me from taking care of you. Nothing. ...So just hold on, okay? Your boy's comin' home."

The device passes to Estela. "Tio Nicolas...This is Estela. I didn't do it. I found my mom's killer...and I didn't do it. I spent every waking moment of the last six years trying to make myself strong so I could avenge her. And when the time came, the strength I needed was to let go. I know you never wanted me to go on this mission, but you helped me anyway. So, I just wanted to say...you were right. And thank you."

Estela offers the device to Michelle, who shakes her head, shifting uncomfortably.

"Are you sure, Michelle?" I ask. "There's no one you want to say something to?"

"At this point? No. Everyone who ever cared about me...I pushed away. I never wanted to need anyone. I never wanted anyone to hold me back or hold me down. And now I have exactly what I wanted. I have no one to hold me at all."

"...Michelle..." I open my arms and pull Michelle into them, cradling her head against my shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, she clutches me back. I hear her sobbing softly, trembling in my embrace.

"...Thank you, Alodia," she whispers. I rub Michelle's back, giving her a minute to calm down while Estela passes the device to Quinn instead.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. It's your daughter. This might be the last time you'll ever hear from me, so I want to ask you to do something. I want you to forgive each other. I remember you loved each other very much once. I was young, but I remember. If I have one regret about all of this, it's that my illness broke that love. It's one thing to go through life being sick, but having been the cause of so much pain and heartbreak...it made be wish I was never born. So please, forgive each other while you can. It's not too late."

Craig takes the device next. "Hey-hey, Joey, little man! You're six years old already, and I gotta feeling you're gonna be even bigger and stronger than me! I know you always-" His voice breaks for a moment. He coughs, playing it off. "I know you always looked up to me. You always wanted to grow up to be just like your big bro. But you'd have grown up to be so much better than me. So much better. So...I'm gonna make sure you get the chance to grow up."

Craig gulps back tears, and hands the device over to me. I accept it now that Michelle has calmed down enough to let me go. But as I look down at the contraption in my hand, I bite my lip. I try to think of someone back home I could say goodbye to...someone I want to say goodbye to. But who would that be? The people who adopted me, but who never really wanted me? The parents I adopted for myself, but whom I haven't spoken to since they rejected their son? Diego already said everything that needed to be said to them.

I look at the people around me. At Diego, my brother; Jake, my lover...at Quinn and Raj and Craig and Estela and Sean and Michelle and Zahra...every unique, beautiful soul that surrounds me, all the people I have been fighting tooth and nail to protect. I look at Varyyn, who loves my brother, and who has risked so much to protect us all.

"You know...I don't need to call anybody. ...Everyone I love is here with me right now."

The others smile at me. Craig reaches over to pat me on the back, and Jake slips his hand into mine.

"All right, give that thing here, Princess. Let's get this over with." I pass the device to him and he thinks a moment before speaking, gripping my hand tightly. "Uh...Hey, Rebecca. This is, uh...it's Jake. Surprise. I'm still alive. For now. I reckon you're furious to hear I've been alive all this time and never called. I could tell you I had reasons, good ones, that I was afraid they'd hurt you if I tried to reach out, but...it's all bullshit. If I ain't honest with myself now, I never will be. I was afraid you'd be ashamed of me. And you should be. _I'm_ ashamed of me. But...I just want you to know that I was always proud of you, sis. You're the hero I'll never be."

He passes the device to Zahra, turning to draw me into a needful embrace. I hold him tightly. Zahra thinks for a moment, and then adjusts the date and time.

"Woah!" Raj cries. "D-don't do that!"

"Relax. I'm not gonna cause a paradox."

"Who are you sending a message to?" I ask.

"The person I love most in the world." She lifts the device to her head. "Hey, Zahra. It's you. From the future. Cool, right? Can't say much, but...I know you're thinking about not going on that La Huerta trip. You should go. Not only does Hartfeld seriously suck this summer, but..." Her eyes meet Craig's for a split second before she looks away and lowers her voice. "You'll also, uh...meet a great guy. I know that, after that last line, you think this is a prank using voice modulation software. So to prove I'm really you...I know you had a crush on Javi Herrera in second grade and that's why you always beat him up."

With that, Zahra turns off the device. We all stand silent for a moment, almost breathless with the electric thread of emotion that runs between us, joining us all like a chain. We've laid our souls bare in front of each other, and no one is quite sure where to look. But that's all right. There is a love cemented between us all now. It's not eros, storge, philia, or even agape. It's something more. Something deeper. I don't think a word exists for it. But right now, the ten of us are one. There is no need to speak. In this moment, our love is deep enough that we're all of a single mind. We continue on our way silently.

We manage to reach the gondola, waiting for us on its landing pad. We glance furtively around for guards, but we're alone.

"I...think we're clear," I say cautiously. "At least for the moment."

"We made it!" Diego says, a wide, relieved grin spreading across his face. "Go, go! Come on!"

He grabs Varyyn's hand, running ahead of the rest of us. Raj laughs, hurrying to catch up. "Hey! Wait up!"

"I call a seat!" Michelle sings, taking off with them. "My feet are killing me!"

The four of them pile into the resting gondola. I grin, seeing them all collapse into their seats.

"Best not keep them waiting." But as the rest of us walk after them, a shadow flashes across my vision. My stomach quivers a warning. "What the-"

A figure drops from the sky, landing softly on jetpack thrusters between us and the gondola. My heart twists painfully.

"Halt," Mouse orders flatly.

"Dammit!" Sean hisses.

"Just one of you?" Jake sneers. "Buddy, I hate to break it to you, but you're a little outnumbered." Mouse does not react, staying where he is.

"He's not trying to beat us, Jake." Estela's voice is dull with exhausted frustration and resignation. "He's trying to stall us."

Diego looks back out of the gondola and sees us cornered. His eyes widen with alarm. "Allie!"

I meet his eyes, hoping that my gaze doesn't reflect my fear. If Mouse is trying to stall us, that means there are more coming. If they get ahold of him...ahold of Varyyn...Images flash in my mind. Varyyn helpless and restrained on a cold table, Diego frantic to free him, both of them brutally gunned down...

"Diego, go! Just go!" I call, trying to sound reassuring and most likely failing. He has to get out of here.

"What?!" he cries. "No! No way!"

"He's trying to stall us! You have to go! Now!"

"We'll catch up!" Sean adds.

"Alodia's right!" Michelle says, taking Diego's arms and pulling him back. "Come on!"

"No!" Diego cries, struggling against her grip. "We can't just leave the—I can't just leave her!"

"Varyyn, do it!" I shout.

Varyyn nods solemnly and touches a panel. Michelle yanks Diego back. The glass doors slide shut and the gondola starts rolling along the cable towards the main island, with Diego, Raj, Varyyn, and Michelle safely inside. I see Diego pounding desperately on the glass. His mouth moves and I know he's shouting for me. But there's no stopping the transit now. Mouse hears the gondola moving and turns toward it.

"Over my dead body!" I snarl, leaping on the soldier and tackling him to the ground. His breath rushes out in a croak, but he throws me off like a ragdoll. I land hard, sliding dangerously close to the cliff's edge.

"Oh, hell no!" Jake growls. He and the others close in on Mouse. Craig throws a haymaker, but Mouse deftly dodges.

"Threat assessment complete," he says flatly. Sean and Estela make their move, but he jetpacks up and over them, landing in front of Quinn.

"Quinn!" I cry. "Watch out-"

Quick as lightning, Mouse grabs her by the throat and throws her into the wall of the complex. She crumples, slumping to the snow-dusted ground, blood trickling down her forehead.

 _"Quinn!"_ I scream, scrambling to my feet.

"Get this bastard!" Estela roars. The rest of us attack with renewed vigor, throwing everything we've got at Mouse. He moves like lightning, or as if he were made of water, avoiding every blow, jetting and flipping, dodging and juking. He makes his way past us, reaching the housing of the gondola's pulley system.

"No!" I scream. Mouse fires his jetpack thrusters at the steel, melting it with alarming speed. The cables start to go slack. I watch with horror as, halfway across the gap, the gondola shakes and slips. "They're in troub-"

I am cut off by Mouse's fist connecting solidly with my jaw. The momentum sends me sprawling. I taste blood in my mouth and spit a glob onto the snow. My friends attack again, but Mouse still eludes them. Jake misses a right hook and gets a hard boot in his stomach. The gondola is struggling to keep moving as the pulley slowly collapses. Abruptly, the pulley snaps free from the MASADA side and tumbles into the sea. Cruelly close to the other side, the gondola swings downward, smashing hard into the cliffside. The hull cracks, visible even from my vantage point, but it holds, the gondola's emergency brake gripping the cable. But straining under the extra weight dangling from the launch platform's pulley, it begins to creak.

"Diego!" My voice comes out in a strangled cross between a scream and a sob. "No! Diego!"

"That's not gonna hold 'em up for long!" Zahra says, her voice trembling. "They gotta do something!"

"Someone has to climb up the cable! It's their only chance!" I scramble to my feet, waving my arms to grab their attention across the abyss. I mime climbing up the cable, making my gestures as big as possible. I can only pray they understand what I'm showing them.

"Dude, charades?! Now?!" Craig cries.

"Alodia's right! They can't hear us from there! This is the only way to signal them!"

A few seconds later, a pale blue figure vaults himself onto the nose of the car. He grapples onto the cable and shimmies up toward the last remaining pulley. Once again, Mouse catches me distracted, grasping me by the hair and pulling me back. The back of my head hits the complex wall and stars explode before my eyes. A hard backhand makes my ears ring, and a fist in my stomach sends the breath rushing from my body, even through the amber armor. I double over, sinking to my knees with a groan.

"Alodia!" I hear Jake's frantic voice break through singing of my blood against my eardrums, and his pained grunt as Mouse lands another blow. I open my eyes in time to see Sean, his face battered and bruised, land hard on the ground beside me. He grits his teeth, struggling upright.

"This guy's good," he grunts.

"Change of plan?" I ask weakly, still catching my breath.

"Yep."

I nod toward a cart of tools by the exit we came out of. Across the strait, Diego, Michelle, and Raj climb precariously out of the gondola car. The last pulley is giving way beside Varyyn. The three of them grab onto the cable. I see Diego kick the break release just as, a hundred feet ahead of him, the pulley finally collapses under the strain. Varyyn heaves, holding the cable with all his might, and starts to pull them up. Beneath Diego's feet, the gondola drops away. The massive steel pulley drops with it, just barely missing Raj's head.

Sean and I make a break for the tool cart. Estela finally manages to sweep out Mouse's legs, and he falls hard on his back. Jake vaults on top of him, grabbing a rock and smashing it down on Mouse's faceplate, punctuating each blow with a furious snarl.

" _Don't! Ever! Mess! With! My-"_ The faceplate breaks away. Jake freezes, the rock in his hand poised to strike again. The blood drains from his face. One word comes out in a trembling whisper. "...Mike...?"

Mouse throws Jake off him, popping up onto his feet. I get a good look at his face, and my veins turn to ice. My grip tightens around the handle of the screwdriver in my hand. It's him. It's the same man I saw give his life to save Jake when I touched the Lupus idol. But his handsome face is slack and emotionless. His left eye glows an unnatural color, his right one dull. His hand shoots out to close around Jake's throat and lift him off the ground. Jake chokes, gripping Mouse's wrist, his eyes bewildered and pleading.

"...M...Mike..." Mouse's grip tightens, crushing Jake's trachea. Jake's body trembles, his fingers starting to go slack.

"Now!" I shout.

Three of us dive at Mouse. Sean smashes his elbow with a pipe, forcing him to drop Jake. Estela delivers a precise blow to his knee. He buckles. With a wild cry, I stab my screwdriver into the exposed fuel tank on his jetpack.

"No!" Mouse growls. I drop the screwdriver, rushing to Jake's side.

"It's a critical hit!" Zahra crows. "Finish him off, P2!"

Craig rushes at him, leaping and planting two feet square in his chest. Mouse sommersaults backwards over the cliff edge.

"Mike!" Jake screams hoarsely. He scrambles to the edge of the cliff, peering over anxiously. Mouse fires his thrusters. They sputter weakly as the fluid leaks out, but he manages to slow himself enough to grab onto the pillar's jagged wall, three hundred feet below. He stares up at me—at Jake—from several stories down. There is nothing of hate on his face. Or recognition. Or anything. His expression is inhumanly blank. I grab Jake's arm, pulling him back from the cliff's edge.

Behind us, Sean is helping Quinn to her feet. She leans heavily on him, the cut on her head bleeding sluggishly. She touches it, wincing.

"Ow...that hurts. Why'd he go after me?"

"Well, you are kind of our resident superhero," Sean points out. "I think he thought you were the biggest target."

"Did the others make it across?" Craig asks anxiously.

I look across the strait. On the main island, I can just make out Diego, Varyyn, Raj, and Michelle. They wave at us before ducking for cover into the snowy woods.

"...Barely. But they're safe for now."

"Looks like we're gonna have to find our own way over," Zahra murmurs.

"We've seen choppers coming and going," Sean points out. "Jake, would you know how to fly one of those?"

I look back at Jake. He's staring blankly into the distance. "...Jake?"

"...Did you see what Lundgren did to him...?" he whispers.

"Jake!" Estela snaps. "Can you fly one of those Arachnid helicopters or what?"

Jake's gaze dips slightly. "...Anyone got a flask on 'em? I could use a drink-"

"Jake! Listen to me!" I grab him by the shoulders, forcing him to turn toward me. He blinks at me, but I hold his gaze and don't let him look away, taking his face in my hands. "I know it hurts to see Mike like that. But it's not too late."

"...Not too late for what?"

"To save him. To bring him back. That...that thing that attacked us? That's not your friend. But he's still in there somewhere. I know it. And we'll get him out."

"...You think so, huh?"

"Look at me, Jake. ...Do you really think I of all people will give up on your best friend as long as there's breath in my body?" He offers me a weak smile as an answer, reaching up to stroke my cheek. I brush his mouth with mine. "We'll save him. But we can't do it if we don't survive today."

He closes his eyes and nods. "Yeah. ...Yeah, okay. I can fly us outta here in whatever you put me in."

"Okay, I've always wanted to say this," Craig says with a grin. "Get...to...the...chopppaaaaaaa!"

We slip back into MASADA and creep through the corridors again, making our way upward. After a few minutes, we exit an elevator on the main deck of the facility. Zahra stops by a window.

"We're getting close. You can see the hangar and helipad from here."

I look where she's pointing. Through the window, I can see a Rourke International helicopter taking off. Inside it, I can just make out Rourke, Aleister, and Grace.

"Dammit," Sean mutters. "Where are they taking her?"

"We're only going to find out if we make it out of this base alive," Estela says flatly.

"Wait a second. Check it out." Zahra nods at a sign overhead labeled 'Coolant Control.'

"Yeah? So?" Craig grunts.

"So? If we just run out of here, then we came here for nothing! We nearly got killed for nothing! We lost Grace for nothing! Don't you want some payback?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"A cooling system that big? They've gotta be creating some serious head up in the processing towers. I send the cooling system haywire, the thing overheats, and _boom!_ No more MASADA."

Jake smirks. "You know, Skrillex, I like the way you think."

"What about the hotel guests?" Quinn asks worriedly. "They're in those stasis tubes down below."

"Yeah, beneath, like, a hundred feet of solid rock. Those will be fine. I'm talking about the entire processing operation, above the pillar."

Craig cracks his knuckles. "I don't know about y'all, but I'd like to hit 'em on the counter. How about you, Alodia?"

I am quiet for a moment. The twelve idols are heavy on my back, the visions heavy in my mind. I think of the despair and desperation that lead to Aleister's betrayal. I think of Grace, a captive of him and his father. I think of Diego on the gondola, the fear in his face as he realized we were about to be separated again, the desperate tears as he pounded on the glass. I look at my friends, battered and bruised by Mouse's assault. I remember the heartbreak in Jake's eyes as he realized who was behind Mouse's mask. A torture I can fathom all too well. My resolve hardens.

"Let's blow this place sky-high."

"Aw, hell yeah!" Craig crows. "That's what I like to hear!"

"We've been knocked around enough," Quinn agrees. "Let's knock 'em down a peg."

Estela smirks. "What I would give to see Rourke's face when his precious base goes up in flames."

Zahra sets to work, booting up the system and hacking her way in. She scoffs. "This place's cybersec is pathetic." Then she frowns. "Whoops. Spoke too soon. It's gonna be a minute. Keep an eye out for me, will ya? We don't wanna get snuck up on."

I take up a guard post on the other side of the room, pausing when I feel my foot tap something. I lean over an pick up a cigar with a fancy gold label wrapped around one end.

"'Hecho en La Habana'," I read aloud. "Cuban. Fancy."

"One of Lundgren's," Jake says. "That was always his favorite brand. Special occasions only. Hell, I reckon it was his last one. ...Kind weird that he'd forget it."

"Why would he even be in here?" Estela wonders.

He shrugs. "Beats me. But knowing that backstabber, it's highly possible he had the same idea Zahra had. In case he ever gets tired of doing Rourke's bidding."

"...A pair of poisonous snakes, those two," I mutter. "What's anyone want to bet they bite each other to death?"

Jake smirks at the thought. Picking up a lighter discarded on one of the tables, he lights up the cigar and starts to puff on it. "Can you imagine him knowing I smoked his last Havana? Oh, man, he'd be so pissed."

"All right!" Zahra calls. "We...are...set!"

"Great!" I reply. "How long 'til it blows?"

"Five minutes."

"Good one," Jake snorts, taking another puff of the Havana. "How much time really?"

"Well, now four minutes and fifty-five seconds."

"Seriously?!" Quinn shrieks. "You only gave us five minutes to get out?!"

"Hey, that's plenty of time! And we don't want them to have long enough to undo it!" Zahra glares at our incredulous faces. "You know what? You wanna blow up a billion-dollar research facility? Next time, _you_ learn how to hack a military-grade network!"

"Okay, let's bicker later!" Sean cries. "Right now, we've gotta haul ass!"

We take off toward MASADA's aerial hangar as alarms start to blare overhead. A fully-loaded military assault chopper sits on the helipad, fueled and ready to go. Just waiting for us to make our escape.

"There it is!" I cry. "There's one helicopter left!"

But as we race towards it, I see it flickering and wavering in the light like a mirage. We stop short.

"What the hell?!" Sean gasps. "Is it a hologram?"

Zahra shakes her head. "No...it's..." She reaches out to touch it, and her hand passes through the hull. "...It's phase-shifting!"

"What?!"

"You mean, it's moving between dimensions?"

"Or timelines," she answers solemnly.

"So, in one version of events, it's here, and in another, it's not..." Jake clarifies. "And we're seeing both. ...Why?"

"The island is basically one big faultline in the space-time contiuum," Zahra says.

"We could be on the verge of making some decision that could decide whether or not the chopper's even here in the first place," I murmur.

"You mean...if _Arachnid's_ even here in the first place." Jake's voice is soft and heavy. I look over at him and see his face twisted with pain.

"What are you saying?" Estela asks.

"I'm saying that Arachnid came for me. They knew I was here. ...And I think I just realized who told them."

He reaches around to unzip my backpack and takes out the crystal transponder. In a flash, I remember the garbled message I heard in the Arachnid humvee.

"Jake...it was you. It was you the whole time."

"Wait, what?!" Estela yelps.

"Jake, what are you doing?!" Sean cries. "You're gonna tell Lundgren your position, back in time?"

"Wait!" Craig exclaims. "If you don't maybe they'll all vanish!"

"You can't stop him, Craig. He already did it. That's why they're here. If he doesn't now, it's a paradox." Zahra's expression is mournful, but she looks at Jake with real respect in her eyes. "He always turned himself in."

"Besides, even if they did vanish, then best case scenario, we're trapped here with no way out. I can't risk that." His eyes fall on me. "...I won't risk you, Alodia. This chopper's our one ticket off this rock. And there's only one way to make sure Lundgren comes here for me."

He taps digits into the transponder's keypad, then lifts its microphone to his head. His voice is hard with resolve. "You want Jake McKenzie? Come get him." He relays the date and the coordinates, exactly as we heard them on the transmission in the humvee. He turns it off. "...Did it work?"

I turn back to the helicopter, and reach out to touch its solid hull. "It's here. It's real."

"Then let's get the hell off this rock."

We pile aboard the chopper as Jake gets in the pilot's seat and spins up the rotors, sticking the still-lit cigar in his hand back between his teeth.

"Two minutes!" Zahra cries her voice strained with urgency. "We've got two minutes!"

"Copy that."

The hangar doors fly open behind us, and Arachnid troops stream out onto the helipad, aiming their weapons and shouting at each other.

"There they are!"

"Ground that chopper!"

"Um...guys...?" Quinn's voice trembles.

"Oh, good," Estela says wryly. "They almost missed the party."

The mercenaries fire, peppering the chopper with bullets as we duck behind the thick armored hull.

"I need some more time to get us off the ground!" Jake growls.

"This is an attack helicopter!" Estela shouts back. "Let's fight back!"

"Craig!" I call. "The chain gun!" I point to the massive gun bolted to the side of the helicopter's hull.

"Now you're talkin' my language!" he says with a grin. He clambers up and gets behind the chain gun, swiveling it around to face the enemy. He yanks back the slide. "Don't call it a comeback."

Craig fires the chain gun, two hundred rounds a minute spraying the hangar. The mercenaries' cover explodes in a hail of debris.

"Fall back!" one of them shouts. "Fall back!" The soldiers retreat, running for their lives.

"Get some!" Craig bellows maniacally.

"Jake, get us out of here!" I scream, feeling my heart in my throat.

"I'm on it!" He tilts the controls, and the chopper lifts off, streaking away from the base.

"Good lord, dude," Sean breathes, eyeing Craig.

"Not bad, Rambo," Jake says with a grin.

Craig flashes a grin at Zahra. "You see that, Z? They ran off, they were so scared of me!"

"Maybe," she replies mildly. "Or maybe they were scared of the-"

A deafening explosion cuts her off. The world whites out as MASADA's processing towers overheat and combust. I throw my hands up in front of my face, shielding my eyes from the blinding light as the blast wave rocks the chopper to the side.

"Hang on!" Jake calls.

As my eyes adjust, through the window of the rocking helicopter, I see the massive complex towers collapsing into the sea. And there, standing on the cliffside, is Lundgren, watching our retreat coldly. Jake gives him a lazy salute.

"Adios, amigo!"

Lundgren drops into a crouch, and jumps. Powered by his enhanced exoskeleton, he flies through the air and lands on the nose of the chopper.

"Oh, no way!" Sean whispers.

"Gimme a break!" Jake groans. Lundgren's eyes go wide as he catches sight of the cigar between Jake's teeth.

"You scum!" he shouts, his voice muffled through the glass. "That's my Havana!"

"Mine now, Darth Douchebag!" Jake retorts. Lundgren climbs over the side, grabs the closed helicopter door, and pulls. The metal groans as the door starts to detach from its rack.

"Holy crap! That exoskeleton's unstoppable!" Estela cries.

"Alodia, what do we do?!" Quinn whimpers, gripping my arm.

"Shock him!"

"What?!" Craig yelps.

"We have to short-circuit that exoskeleton! He'll be a pushover without it!"

"Great idea! Love it!" Sean says. "Now how exactly do we do that?!"

"You leave that to me!" Zahra declares, diving into the copilot's seat. She rips open the compartment above her and starts stripping wires.

"Careful with that!" Jake shouts. "My instruments are going crazy!"

"I'm gonna go crazy if you don't shut up!" Zahra growls.

With a twisted scream of metal on metal, the door rips free of its rack. Lundgren tosses it into the void. I cry out, scrambling back. He grins straight at us, cornered in the helicopter bay.

"I've got you now," Lundgren simpers.

"That so, Sparky?" Zahra retorts from the copilot's seat.

Lundgren turns his eye on her. "'Sparky'? Guess the bad nicknames have been rubbing off on you."

Zahra dives at him, jamming two exposed wires into his exoskeleton. His eyes widen, muscles twitching violently as the current surges through him. Smoke curls up from his suit's servos.

"Who said anything about a nickname?" Zahra sneers.

Lundgren's eyes roll back in his head as he tips backward toward the open door. He's barely conscious, but as he falls, his hand shoots out to grab Zahra by the collar. She cries out as the massive weight of Lundgren's ruined exoskeleton pulls her out of the open door with him.

"Z!" Craig screams. He lunges for her, hands outstretched, but his fingers grab only empty air where Zahra had been a moment before. Horrified, he watches her fall, disappearing into the sea below with a massive splash. " _Zahra!"_

"Jake!" I cry. "Turn around! We've gotta go back for her!"

"Yeah, okay, I'll-" He cuts himself off with a cry as the missile-lock alert bleats on the dash. He swings the chopper's tail around, narrowly missing a streaking rocket. Estela grabs hold of me and pulls me hard against her, keeping me on my feet.

"What the hell?!" She growls. "Who's shooting at us?"

I peer up against the cliffs and see a mammoth figure heaving a rocket launcher over his shoulder. Tetra grins maniacally at us, waving.

"Go! He's shooting again!"

"We can't!" Craig cries. "What about Zahra?!"

"Go!" Estela repeats. Jake accelerates, weaving around another rocket, firing flares. The missile-lock alarm bleats another warning.

"I can't shake him!" Jake cries frantically. Tetra fires. The rocket lances toward us, its aim true. Quinn meets my eyes. She smiles.

"...I won't forget you, Alodia," she says softly.

"What? Quinn, what are you-" I'm cut off as Quinn's eyes flash green and her hair levitates in a halo around her. Before anyone can react, she floats gracefully out of the open door, into the path of the rocket. " _Quinn! No!_ "

She extends a hand toward the missile. When she speaks, the voice of the Island rings out like thunder, terrible and tranquil. "Stop."

Twenty feet from the chopper, the rocket detonates with a deafening roar. The blast sends out a massive wave of debris that batters the chopper. There is a second, terrible explosion, heart-stoppingly close, and the chopper starts to spin wildly, alarms screaming inside.

"We lost the tail rotor!" Jake cries frantically. "We're goin' down! Hang on!"

"This is twice now, Jake!" Craig shouts. "I am never flying with you again!"

I grip a handhold near the open door, desperately searching the air for any sign of Quinn as the helicopter spins out of control.

"Quinn! Quinn, where are yo-" I cut myself off with a scream as the handhold pops loose from the hull and I go sliding across the floor.

" _Alodia!"_ Jake abandons the controls, diving for me. I feel myself drop into open air, hands clawing desperately for a lifeline. My left palm hits something solid and I grasp it. The world blurs around me as I cling to the landing skid with one hand, holding on for dear life. Jake is above me, lying on his belly on the floor of the chopper, reaching for me. I briefly wonder who the hell is manning the controls, but that thought is snatched away as quickly as it comes up, replaced by pure animal terror. For the first time since arriving on this island, I am more scared for my own life than for anyone else's.

"Come on, Princess!" Jake calls. "You can do it! Gimme your hand!"

A beautiful shimmering bay glimmers beneath my dangling feet, spinning dizzily. Straining against the weight of the air rushing in circles around me, I stretch out my right hand. The wind makes my eyes water, whipping the tears out of my eyes. My palms are slick with sweat. I feel my left hand losing grip.

"Jake..." I whimper, my voice weak with primal terror. "...I'm slipping..."

"No!" he cries frantically. "No, you're not! You're fine! I can almost reach..."

I swallow hard, gathering my will and resolve, and stretch my hand an inch further. My fingertips graze his, just as the landing skip slips out of my grasp. I am weightless, dropping into empty air.

" _Alodia!"_ Jake's scream follows me as I fall. A calm resignation grips me. Sorrow fills my brain as the bay rises to meet me, but there is nothing of fear left. I close my eyes.

"...Goodbye..." I whisper.

I hit the icy water with brutal, painful force. The cold hits me like a thousand knives. And then I feel nothing at all.

 _Three years earlier_

 _A naval base, Central Asia_

 _Pain floods every nerve, every cell, every fiber of Mike's being. He screams into a dark, silent void that swallows his cries before they can hit his ears. He screams voicelessly, writhing in helpless agony for...god, he can't even tell how long. Then abruptly, the pain begins to ebb away, fading into the background. Distant voices begin to manifest in the silence, mumbling without words above a soft, rhythmic beeping and the occasional brief electronic tone. He feels his eyelids fluttering, and his eyes are assaulted by the cold glow of a florescent white light. Antisceptic smell stings his nose, barely overpowering the stench of dead, burnt flesh._

 _"Wh...what...where...?" His voice is hoarse to his own ears, weak and slightly mewling. Memories come back to him in a rush of flashing images. Jake. The recon mission. The screaming alarms inside the plane. The missiles streaking towards them. The glaring red light of his jammed ejector. Jake's horrified face, his own hand shooting out to press the other man's ejector. The fire blossoming in the sky, the deafening explosion, the blazing, burning heat._

 _He thought he was a goner for sure. But now he's in a hospital somewhere, wrapped like a mummy in thick bandages. Someone stirs beside him, and his heart leaps. He tries to turn his head, and is punished by a stabbing pain in his neck._

 _"Jake! Is that..." He trails off as the smell of cigar smoke registers. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the small circle glowing red._

 _"Well, look at that," Lundgren drawls. "Awake at last. The others figured you'd never make it, but I bet on you. You always were the toughest of us, Darwin."_

 _"You son-of-a-bitch!" Mike snarls. On instinct, he lunges, but the crippling pain exploding through his body forces him down again. He slumps against the pillow, gasping and trembling._

 _"You're not exactly in the shape to make any threats," Lundgren says with a cruel smirk._

 _"You...you set us up..."_

 _"I wouldn't go pointing fingers. After all, I'm not the trecherous rat planning to betray his commanding officer." Lundgren leans in close enough that cigar ash drops onto Mike's exposed neck, hot enough to sting. He hisses, coughing as the smoke drifts into his scarred lungs. "Did you really think I wouldn't know? I run a tight ship, idiot. I know everything that happens under my roof."_

 _"Jake...is he..."_

 _Lundgren sits back in his chair. "Wolf's alive. For now. He ejected somewhere over Kharzistan. We've got all the squads looking for him. He won't run long, believe me." He smirks. "You...you weren't so lucky. We recovered the cockpit from the Caspian a few days ago. Hate to break it to you, but your body's a mess."_

 _"I'm sure it breaks your heart," Mike growls._

 _Lundgren ignores him and continues. "Spine broken. Third-degree burns on eighty-seven percent of your body. And I hope you weren't attached to your legs...because they ain't attached to you."_

 _Mike looks down, for the first time realizing that his body ends at mid-thigh. Horror floods through him. He tastes bile at the back of his throat. He can still feel them...he can still feel his legs..._

 _"Most of the unit, they think I shoulda just let you die," Lundgren snickers. "Hell, I could smother you with a pillow right now, and no one would have to know."_

 _"Just try it, G.I. Schmoe. My legs might be gone, but I can still bite."_

 _"You see, Darwin? That's what I'm talking about. You're as tough as they come. It'd be a waste just to put you down."_

 _Lundgren rises, walking across the room. Mike's gaze follows him. Sitting on a rickety table is a bizzare piece of medical equipment, a futuristic helmet, the inside line with drills._

 _"What the hell is that?" Mike growls._

 _"This? This, my friend, is the future. My unit...Arachnid Unit...is going to be the greatest fighting force on the planet. A mercenary army that would make global superpowers tremble in fear."_

 _"...You're a goddamn lunatic."_

 _"What, did you think this was all about lining my pockets? Think bigger. I'm about to change the face of warfare. Starting with yours. But after this, you might need a new callsign."_

 _Mike feels himself shrink back as Lundgren approaches. "Wait...Lundgren, listen...please..." There is a whimper in his voice that he cannot quite conceal._

 _The commander smirks sadistically. "Buck up, little mouse." He pushes the helmet closer, the gleaming drills catching the light as they start to spin. "You're about to change history."_

 _January, 2018_

 _Elyys'tel Village_

 _Taari scampers through the Vaanti village, rope bridges clattering and rocking under his feet as he runs, balancing a tower of crispy cakes._

 _"They're mine!" he sings to himself. "The cakes are all mine, the cakes are all mi—oof!" As he rounds a corner, something green impedes his path. He collides with the unexpected obstacle, sitting down hard and spilling the cakes every which way. He cautiously looks up. Seraxa frowns sternly down at him, her arms folded._

 _"Oh, I am dying to hear you explain this one," she drawls mildly._

 _Taari casts his eyes wildly about, as if searching for a plausible explanation. "I...took the cakes...because...if I did...then...I would have cakes...?" He smiles sweetly up at Seraxa, who tries to keep up her stern expression, even as he sees amusement dancing in her eyes._

 _"Nice try. Pick them up and bring them back to the baker. Now."_

 _"Aww..." Taari sighs, picking himself up and moving to collect the cakes. As he bends to pick them up, Seraxa gently tousels his hair. He turns to smile at her. "Seraxa...?"_

 _"Yes, Taari?"_

 _His smile slips, settling into a line, and then pulling down at the corners. "...I miss the Cat-a-lissus."_

 _Seraxa sighs, turning her gaze north. She won't admit it to Taari, but her rest has been troubled since the Catalysts left with the elyyshar, and it has only worsened since Uqzhaal made off for the Threshold. As she looks north now, a deep dread settles into her belly._

 _"Me too, Taari..."_

 _Arachnid Bunker_

 _La Huerta_

 _Four elite soldiers hunker around a card table, playing poker._

 _"Hey, boss-man," Fiddler says, not looking up from her hand. "Let me ask you a question."_

 _"Shoot."_

 _"You really trust this Rourke guy? You sure he won't just sell us out?"_

 _"My dad always told me to never trust a man in a nice suit," Tetra agrees._

 _"Your dad was a bum who drove drunk off a pier," Lundgren sneers. "So he's the last asshole I'd listen to. I've been around the block long enough to know that sharks like Rourke are about as loyal as you can throw them. Do I trust him? No. Do I think he'll try to pull something on us? Probably. But right now, we're stuck on his island. That means we gotta play his game. Don't you worry though. I've got my eyes on him. He tries anything, and that nice suit's all that'll be left of him. We'll burn that bridge when we get there. Right now, focus up. Do your jobs. We've got ourselves a Wolf to hunt, ain't that right?"_

 _"Hell yeah!" Tetra says._

 _"You'd better believe it," Fiddler adds with a smirk._

 _The fourth soldier remains silent, his eyes on his hand. The other three turn to stare at him._

 _"Mouse!" Lundgren barks. "I said, ain't that right?"_

 _"...Yes," Mouse finally says. "That's right."_

 _"Good." Lundgren sits back, sneering. "Someone get me another beer."_

 _The Northern Mountains_

 _La Huerta_

 _A small blue fox bounds through deep drifts of clean white snow, joyfully spraying blasts of ice. Watching nearby, a hulking Yeti nods her massive head, letting out a low growl of approval. She lowers herself down into the snow, yawning a little._

 _Murphy bounds over to her, curling up at her side. The Yeti's gaze turns north, towards the island's tip, where a small column of smoke reaches up to the sky. Murphy follows her gaze._

 _"Mrrk?" he asks worriedly. The Yeti leans down to nuzzle him with her snout, snuffling. The sound is low and mournful._

 _The La Huerta Observatory_

 _Mount Atropo_

 _Everett Rourke stands beside a sophisticated machine, looking at the Island's Heart, glittering within. The machine emits a low drone as its laser scans the orb. His eyes widen._

 _"My god, Iris. It's incredible. I've never seen anything like it. The energy levels on this...the sheer power..."_

 _"It is truly impressive, sir."_

 _"All this time...I thought I needed the Endless...but this crystal might just be enough. Do you realize what this means, Iris? The Janus Project can begin at last."_

 _"Yes," Iris replies. "It can."_

 _The Western Mountain Pass_

 _La Huerta_

 _A dark-skinned man with black hair that brushes his shoulders stands on the edge of the cliff, gazing at the black tendril of smoke that rises into the sky. He regards it with a thoughtful frown, raising his binoculars to his eyes. After a moment, he turns and vanishes back down the mountainside, the sun winking off the military dogtags around his neck..._


	16. Epilogue: Threshold

The next thing I am aware of is a bitter, biting cold, as if my very blood is frozen. Then violent tremors start to race up my spine. I hear my teeth chattering.

"Come back to me." The voice above me is somehow familiar. "There you are."

I feel myself rocking. Suddenly, my fingers and toes are overcome with fiery heat. I squirm as the liquid flames surge up my limbs. I hear myself moan.

"Wh...where..."

"That's it. You're all right."

My eyelids flutter. I am immediately hit by a blinding light. I throw my hands over my face, pressing into the warm body that cradles my naked form against its soft bare skin. ...Wait, what? The spots start to clear from my vision, and I look up at the face above me. Yvonne the Incorrigible smiles down at me.

"...Yvonne?"

She winks. "Oui. C'est moi. You may call me guardian angel if you wish."

"You...saved my life." I blush as I look down and confirm that both of us are naked, wrapped in a blanket. "And you, uh...warmed me up, I guess..."

She laughs. "Don't be so prudish. If I ever have my wicked way with you, I promise you will know."

I sit up carefully, looking myself over, stretching experimentally. I'm on a small trimaran, floating in calm, crystal blue waters. Dark red bruises stand out starkly on my pale skin, left by Mouse and the bullet that dented my armor. Said armor, and the clothes I had been wearing underneath, are piled at the prow of the boat, my backpack full of amber idols on top of it. I go for the bag first, carefully counting the idols to make sure they're all still present. Finding them all accounted for and unharmed, I slowly move to get dressed. Yvonne takes up the oars, rowing towards the shore. I look around me. To the north, a column of smoke rises from what has to be the MASADA complex.

"You were out for several hours. Do you remember anything?"

"...I fell..."

"Indeed. Very far, very fast, and very ungracefully."

"Wait...you were there?" She grins at my shocked expression. "But how'd you know to be there? It couldn't have been luck."

"I was dispatched to your aid by your red-clad friend."

"...Who?"

"I could not say. But you have someone looking out for you."

As I start to fasten the various pieces of amber armor on my body, it suddenly occurs to me how warm it is.

"Hold on...are we back in the tropical part of the island?" I look at Yvonne in alarm. "Where are you heading? We need to find the others! They could be hurt!"

"Mais oui. They could be. But La Mer will guide them where they need to go."

"I need to find them, Yvonne!" I cry.

She pins me with a steely gaze, her eyes narrow. "As you said, you owe me your life. I gave you help, and now I am in need of yours."

I want to argue further, but I am not in much of a practical position to do so.

"Where are you taking me, then?"

As the belly of the boat starts to scrape the shore, Yvonne hops out onto warm, white sand, and drags her vessel ashore. Drawing her cutlass, she points up at the smoking peak of Mount Atropo.

"There."

Yvonne leads me through the dense jungle, slashing at the foliage in our path with her cutlass. After several hours, we emerge at the foot of the volcano.

"This is it," she says. "C'est impressionnant, non?"

Yvonne gestures ahead. I look up and feel my heart drop, splashing into my stomach. A colossal stone temple is carved into the volcanic base. ...A temple in the shape of a dragon's head...a face jutting out of the mountain...eleven graves within the dragon's mouth.

"Oh, no...nonononono..." I shrink back from it.

"Ma petite blonde, you shiver like the timbers." Yvonne clicks her tongue. "I thought you a braver soul than this."

"I...I've been here before. I mean...I've seen it..." I swallow. "...What is it?"

"Welcome to the Threshold," Yvonne replies.

"...The threshold of what?"

"We shall find out together, non?" She clasps shut an antique compass, the one I saw her take from the chest in the Jeweled Cave.

"...That compass...is that how you found this place?"

"A keen eye, you have. Indeed it is. In a manner of speaking, I died to steal it. Malatesta made me walk the plank for my thievery, though I maintain that it is he who stole it from me." She looks at me. "When I came here, though, I encountered that red-clad demon. It told me that I needed your help."

"My help?"

"You and your compagnons. But as you may be the last surviving one, I must settle for you."

The helpless fear that filled me at the sight of the dragon's mouth mixes with rage at her callousness. I open my mouth to tell her where she can shove her compass, but whatever venomous words I might have spat at her are cut off when she grabs my arm and leads me forcibly into the darkness within the dragon's mouth.

"It's pitch-black in here," I say instead, my voice sounding sullen to my own ears.

"Never fear. There is a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Make sure to stay near me, mon amour. It is easy to get lost in these tunnels. You could wind up wandering down here forever."

Gradually, though, the world starts to take shape as bright red light trickles down from deep within the volcano. I brace myself to find graves or bones, but instead, I find myself in a large ceremonial chamber lined with lava spouts. A hunched figure in the center startles at our arrival.

"An intruder?" Yvonne snarls, pointing her cutlass. "Surrender, fiend!"

"I...I mean you no h—Alodia?"

My eyes widen as I place the voice. "Uqzhaal?"

The Vaanti shaman hobbles forward, taking shape through the gleaming red light. "Blessings of Vaanu, it is you!" He embraces me warmly, and I return the gesture.

"It's good to see you."

Yvonne raises an eyebrow. "You are friends? Was it not his people who imprisoned you for life?"

"We ended up having common interests," I say simply. "Uqzhaal, this is Yvonne. She's how we escaped Sharktooth Isle."

"Ahh, the boat thief." The shaman nods sagely. "A pleasure to meet you."

Yvonne balks. "Pardonnez-moi, but I steal much more than just boats!"

"Of course." Uqzhaal turns his attention back to me. "Alodia, I had heard such terrible news, of foreign warriors coming to slay you! Some of our scouts returned from the battle at the chasm and feared you dead!"

"I nearly was...and I'm not sure about the others..."

I fill him in on everything that has transpired since we left Elyys'tel. From the Arachnid's attack to our infiltration of the MASADA complex, to the molten wasteland we found on the other side of the Lernaean Gate, to Aleister's betrayal and our near execution, to our escape attempt and the destruction of the MASADA complex.

"...I'm sorry, Uqzhaal. Rourke...he has the Island's Heart."

The old shaman's brow creases. He turns away, staring into the lava's glow.

"This is truly terrible," he murmurs. "The Hydra with such incredible power...We must ask the Endless what to do."

"I do not know half the things of which you speak, and I care for even less," Yvonne declares flatly. "But if we are here to see the same person, then we can work together, non?"

"...How do we talk to the Endless, Uqzhaal?"

"The Catalyst idols were the keys the Endless bestowed unto us. When we could unite all twelve, that meant that we as a people were ready to learn its secrets." He gestures to the twelve pedestals surrounding the stone bridge on which we stand. "But our people were not worthy. We lost the Idols in the Three Tribes' War. This is why I sought them. This is why I sought the Catalysts. Each of you has a special connection to your idol. I needed your help to commune with the Endless and learn the truth behind stopping Raan'losti. ...But if what you say is true, and Raan'losti has already come...I know not what we can do."

"...Okay, so we put all twelve Catalyst idols on these pedestals, and then we get to learn the truth behind the Endless? And it's beyond this lava moat here?"

"So claim the legends. Did you manage to find the idols on your journey?"

I pull off my backpack and show him the twelve amber statues nestled inside. "All twelve. Every last one."

"Incredible!" he breathes.

"You are truly incomparable, mon amour," Yvonne agrees. She grabs my face and jubilantly kisses both my cheeks.

"...Right. So...where do I place them? In what order?"

Uqzhaal shrugs. "That, I cannot say."

"...Guess I just have to go with my gut then..."

One by one, I pull out the idols and place them on the pedestals. My instinct tells me to keep them in the same order we were laid out before, month by month by month.

Andromeda, Lupus, Canis, Cygnus, Aquila, Draco on one side. Delphinus, Serpens, Corvus, Centarus, Ursa, Pavo on the other. The instant I place Michelle's idol, the floor starts to rumble under my feet. Rings carved into the bases of the pedestals begin to rotate to new positions.

"The gears are turning!" Uqzhaal exclaims excitedly.

"I can't believe that worked! I thought it'd be some crazy, complicated..." I trail off as one stone wall slides aside, revealing a series on symbols painted underneath the panel. I sigh. "Okay, this is kinda what I was expecting."

I look at the wall. Underneath a crude painting of a bloody knife are six symbols: Beneath that is a painting of a skull over a pair of shackles, and underneath that, five more symbols. Underneath that is one more drawing, of a series of...waves? Mountains? Each is topped with a small white...hell, they might be nipples on breasts for all I can tell. And underneath them is another series of nine symbols.

"Look!" Yvonne exclaims. "Above us!" Throw my eyes to the ceiling, where a circle in the ceiling is opening up to reveal a second series of symbols. Three groups of four symbols, and then one group of ten.

"What are we supposed to do with these?" Yvonne wonders.

"It's some kind of puzzle," I reply.

"The trial of the Endless will prove our worth!" Uqzhaal declares. "We shall solve it in no time at all!"

He sounds confident, but I can't tell if it's bravado. I look from the wall to the ceiling.

"Some of the runes on the wall are the same as those on the ceiling," Yvonne muses. "Perhaps they are letters."

"Of what alphabet, though?" I wonder.

"Perhaps early Vaanti," Uqzhaal suggests. "Or perhaps something pre-dating us all. But it is clear the runes are spelling out words. ...Or...names."

"...Names?"

He nods. "If this trial was created by the Endless to test us, perhaps the names are the ones taught to us by the Endless itself."

"You mean..." I frown, looking at the wall again. "...Those sigils on the wall...those must be a clue..."

"Do you recognize them from anywhere?" Yvonne asks. "They all seem to suggest death."

"Death?" I repeat. "I mean, the first two certainly do, but the last one...I can't even tell what it's supposed to be. Water? Mountains?"

"I count eleven of them," Uqzhaal remarks.

And suddenly it hits me like a baseball bat to the head. My heart starts to pound. I know exactly what I'm looking at. "...Oh, god...they're graves. Those things on top are headstones."

"Does this mean something to you, mon amour?"

"...It means that this trial was meant for me," I say flatly. I close my eyes. The bloody dagger. ...Thrown by Rourke, burying its blade in Zahra's heart. The shackles around Jake's wrists pulled tight against Mouse's throat. ...Eleven graves. And only one left alive to dig them. "...Corvus. Lupus. Andromeda."

"Quoi?"

"Those are the names on the wall. Zahra. Jake. Me. ...The answer is going to be in English."

"You are certain?"

"Positive. Like I said. This trial was meant for me. It's either English or Spanish, because those are the two languages I know. Now if everyone could kindly quiet down for a moment, I need to concentrate."

I let my eyes flick from wall to ceiling and back again. Mentally, I spell out names, linking up runes with letters and transferring them from wall to ceiling.

 _S-A-V-E... - - E-M... - R-O-M..._

I don't even need to spell out the last word entirely. I curl my hands into fists at my sides and speak the message of the Endless into the chamber, my voice loud and clear.

"Save them from themselves."

The whole room shudders in response. The idols begin to glow.

"What...what is happening?" Uqzhaal gasps.

"I don't know!" I cry in response. The idols glow brighter and brighter, each with a white-hot light in its center. Then, all at once, they dissolve into amber, leaking away down the sides of their pedestals. Left behind, resting in the basin of each pedestal where the idol had been is a small, crimson pool. "Is that... _blood?_ "

Yvonne crosses herself. "What fresh hell is this?"

Water begins to pour from a series of spouts, hitting the lava with a steamy blast. White fog, painfully hot, engulfs my vision. I throw my arms up in front of my face.

"It's finally happening!" Uqzhaal breathes. "After so many generations of waiting..."

Impossibly quickly, the lava cools and hardens, and the steam begins to dissipate. I delicately test the lava with one foot. Then the other.

"It's safe. We can cross."

"The path is opened," Uqzhaal says reverently. The three of us venture into the darkness beyond the Threshold.

"After all that," Yvonne mutters. "More tunnels."

"Hush! There is someone up ahead."

"What? I don't see any-" My voice dies in my throat as I see it. Black against black. A figure of shadow. "Who's...who's there?"

"Show yourself, coward!" Yvonne snarls.

A ball of flame appears in the dark, casting tongues of red-gold light over the walls. The flickering glow is reflected in the black visor of a red helmet.

"I've waited a very long time for this meeting," the figure in the red spacesuit says. Their voice crackles through a speaker, modulated and electronic and impossible to place. The ball of flames flickers above a crude robotic right hand. Uqzhaal drops to the ground in supplication.

"Endless One...please, your faithful servants seek your help! Let us commune with you at last-"

"They always say 'at last,'" the Endless sighs. "As if they are the first. They are never the first. All that matters is if they are last."

Every fiber of my being is electric with primal terror. Every instinct screams at me to run, but I swallow my fear and approach the red-clad being.

"Who are you? What do you want with us? What do you want with the Vaanti?"

"Having made it this far, you must already realize what is at stake," the Endless replies.

"Yeah," I say sharply. "The world is gone. Destroyed. We thought we could stop it, but it's already happened. ...Can you help us? You seem to have control of time."

"Time is inevitability," the Endless replies. "I know no inevitability. I will be here until this spinning rock and the sun that lights it are cold as the void. But it's no longer a matter of what I can do."

Once again, I feel exhaustion, fear, and desperation blending in my gut into white-hot rage that bubbles up like magma and blocks out everything else.

"I've had it with the games!" I snarl like a wild dog. "Tell me now! What is the meaning of this?! What are these idols?! How do I stop these futures from happening to my friends?!"

"Futures?" the Endless repeats mildly. "The idols do not show the future."

"Wha...what do you mean? I saw those visions. I watched my friends die! How is that not the-" I trail off as the truth comes crashing down on me. All the strength leaves me, and I sink to my knees in despair. "...Because they already died."

"Yes," the Endless confirms. "Again and again and again. And every time...every time I was there."

 _A vision flashes through my mind. Rourke's office, where Zahra's body lies crumpled on the floor, the dagger hilt jutting from her heart. Only now, I see the Endless there too, cloaked in shadow, watching silently._

"...I saw them die," the Endless continues, their voice sounding almost mournful even through the modulation. "So many times, I saw them die. But it wasn't enough for me to see. You needed to see too. That's why I made the idols."

 _Another vision. This time I see Jake, his body cold on the floor of the stasis room at MASADA. The Endless hunkers over him, drawing dark blood into a long syringe in their hand._

"You mean...all this time...in the idols we were carrying..."

"A piece of your own mortality. It was necessary to forge the psychic link. To let you see the path."

I feel my gorge rising as tremors race up and down my spine. I clutch my belly, trying to calm my raging stomach. "Oh god...oh my god..."

"This...cannot be true!" Yvonne murmurs.

"I do not understand," Uqzhaal says."This has happened before? All of this?"

"Two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine times, to be precise," the Endless replies. "The first time I went back to them, they died before my eyes. So terribly. Some of them didn't even make it a full day. I knew I had to help them. To guide them."

I lift my eyes to look into the Endless' visor. "...What...?"

"I tried to intervene directly, but I quickly learned that the laws of time can be...unforgiving." The Endless flexes their bionic arm, and I see the ragged stump just below the elbow. "I had to be more subtle. To change as little as possible. To influence indirectly. I left clues. Sigils. Symbols to aid their journey. To keep them alive."

I remember being back at The Celestial, in the kitchen, and Raj turning to me with a frying pan in his hands. He said that something about the symbol stood out to him...

"All those symbols we found...that was you?"

"Yes. But it wasn't enough. The symbols kept them alive until they met the Vaanti. But that meeting always ended in death."

Another vision flashes through my mind, of the cliffside outside Elyys'tel. A group of Vaanti warriors stand holding bloodied swords and axes. The broken bodies of my friends lie at their feet.

"The Vaanti were too hostile," the Endless continues. "Too guarded. Every encounter saw the group massacred, no matter what they did. Changing the group wasn't enough. I had to change the Vaanti. So I went back. Further than I'd ever gone. And I shaped them."

 _… Another flash. I see a beach at night. Ancient Vaanti, the ancestors of the tribe, huddle in reverent awe. The Endless stands before them, bathed in light, the very vision of a god._

 _"They will return to you!" they declare. "The Catalysts! They will stop Raan'losti!"_

 _The Vaanti raise their hands in prayer and acceptance._

I recoil a little. "So you...made up the idea of the Catalysts...just so that centuries later, the Vaanti would help us? Their entire religion...was just a means to an end?"

"No..." Uqzhaal whispers. "No...it cannot be!"

"I did what I had to do. To protect them."

"Mon dieu..."

I let my eyes fall to the ground again. "All this...just to keep us alive...? Why didn't you just go back and stop us from ever coming here?"

"My travel is limited to the time bubble surrounding La Huerta. I can never leave this island."

I clutch my head. It's throbbing as I try to process what I'm hearing, to understand. I shake my head, whimpering.

"This is...this is too much..."

"Don't despair. The next stage of our journey begins here. After 2,139 loops, the cycle is broken."

"What do you mean?"

"The temple is a test. A test that could only be passed under certain conditions. All twelve idols united. All twelve functional."

"...Functional?" But even as I say it, I understand. I see visions that feel like memories now...visions of previous timelines, previous times I've made it to this temple...

 _"I don't understand," I murmur. "Why aren't Raj and Michelle's idols lighting up?"_

 _"Perhaps it is because they perished when the sea monster attacked," Yvonne answers heavily. "The idols may only work if they're alive."_

"So...this is the first time...? The first time I've made it this far...with everyone still alive?" It's overwhelmingly frightening, but that thought makes hope flare to life in me. ...They are alive. All eleven of them. They're alive.

"Yes," the Endless confirms. "All our friends yet live."

My blood runs cold again. "...' _Our_ ' friends...?"

The Endless reaches up and presses a latch at their neck. There is a hiss of decompression. They reach up with their hands, one flesh, one iron, and lifts the helmet from their head. All sensation leaves me. Uqzhaal and Yvonne and the whole chamber seem to fade into static.

"Oh my god..." I whisper. "...Oh, my god..."

"I had to be sure you were ready, Alodia," the Endless says gently. "Now our work can begin."

I can't answer. I am staring at the face of the Endless. A woman of flesh and blood stares back at me. The pale skin of her face has gone slack with age, her hair gone thin and gray. But in her blue eyes, I see the truth. I know the face before me.

...She is me.

...I am the Endless.


End file.
